Literary Treks: A Star Trek Books and Comics Podcast
Books & Literature
About
Literary Treks is a Trek.fm podcast dedicated entirely to Star Trek in written form. Each episode hosts Matthew Rushing and Casey Pettit explore Star Trek books and comics and chat with authors.
Episodes
- 395: I Get Paid for This?
Scott Pearson. It takes more than just an author to produce a book. In fact, there's a whole team of people that bring any given book to fruition. It's no different in tie-in fiction like Star Trek. We don't often branch out to talk to any…
- 394: The Chekov Book
Greg Cox: Identity Theft. Pavel Chekov is a reminder that some Star Trek characters do their most interesting growing just outside the spotlight. Known for his youthful enthusiasm, sharp wit, and loyalty to the Enterprise, much of Chekov's…
- 393: Go with the Flow
David Mack: Ring of Fire. With fewer Star Trek series currently on TV, it's the novels that keep us boldly going. These stories bridge the gaps between episodes and explore what happens when the cameras aren't rolling — deepening our conne…
- 392: The Dog Belonged to Lower-Case Q
Gateways: What Lay Beyond. Back in late 2001, Pocket Books published the most epic crossover event to date: Gateways. With six novels spanning the eras from The Original Series to Voyager, the series brought together multiple authors to te…
- 391: Nick's Vision
Interview with Star Trek: Khan writers Kirsten Beyer and David Mack. Legacy isn't reserved for heroes. Some characters leave a mark not through their nobility, but through the incredible shadow they cast. Few exemplify this better than Kha…
- 390: A Layered Point of View
In 1997, Pocket Books began releasing novels in a new series - one not based on a Star Trek television series. The brainchild of then-editor John J. Ordover and author Peter David, Star Trek: New Frontier was a way to have a series of nove…
- 389: The Golden Era
Gateways: No Man's Land. At one time, Christie Golden was the preeminent author in the Star Trek: Voyager novel line with 13 of her 16 Star Trek stories being with the crew of Voyager. In fact, even Kirsten Beyer hasn't surpassed Golden's…
- 388: The Hirogen "Threat"
Gateways: Demons of Air and Darkness. Star Trek literature's mission was to expand the universe of the series beyond what was seen on screen, so in doing that the books continued series that had ended as well as created characters to follo…
- 387: Classic Trekkian Pew-Pew
James Swallow: Toward the Night. One of the beauties of tie-in fiction is to do exactly what the name implies, to tie in to the show or universe and add details that the films or shows just don't have time to do. In this episode of Literar…
- 386: This is the Story We Needed
Gateways: Doors Into Chaos. The early aughts were an intriguing period for Star Trek books, as shows like DS9 concluded, Voyager continued to air, and TNG continued to produce films. The literary landscape truly embraced experimentation an…
- 385: A Better Introduction
Gateways: Chainmail. Books set in the Star Trek universe that aren't based on any of the television series can be a mixed bag when it comes to fan reception. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan talk abou…
- 384: You Gotta Have Some Klingons
Star Trek: Gateways: One Small Step. In 2001, the Star Trek literary universe was at the hight of it's popularity especially as it continuing series like Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation, which lead to a massive crossover between al…
- 383: Where Did That Come From?!
The Pandora Principle. Star Trek books are some of the longest running tie-in fiction series out there which means that you never know when an entry will be a diamond in the rough or just rough. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Case…
- 382: Una By Una
Una McCormack: Asylum. One of the joys of tie-in fiction is the way that it can delve into the backgrounds of characters to make the viewing experience feel richer because the fan has a greater understanding of what motivates the character…
- 381: Everybody Dies
The Nanotech War. Star Trek Voyager is a polarizing series to say the least and yet in the realm of literature, it has made for some of the best stories in Treklit. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan ta…
- 380: The Old Issue
Catalyst of Shadows. The almost ninety year period between The Original Series and The Next Generation was perfect fodder for the novels to mine, connecting the dots between the eras as well as characters we would meet in the 24th century…
- 379: The Series' Dad
Deny Thy Father. On of the beauties of tie-in fiction is the ability to go back and fill in important details or stories that might have been alluded to in a series yet the full story was never told, which is what made the idea of Star Tre…
- 378: Lots of True Crime Podcasts
Greg Cox: Lost to Eternity. One of the beauties of Star Trek is all the treads that one can pull on from the plethora of stories that have been told over the years making the books the perfect place to explore all these possibilities. In t…
- 377: Already Unlikeable
Well of Souls. Captain Rachael Garrett and the crew of the Enteprise-C were some of the biggest highlights of an already stellar episode of The Next Generation making them the perfect subject for one of The Lost Era novels from Pocket Book…
- 376: I Didn't Know I Needed That
Dayton Ward: Pliable Truths. The best tie-in fiction is something that takes the reader on a journey they never knew they needed to go on and transforms the way they look at the source material forever when they are done. In this episode o…
- 375: It Clicked
Comics Catch Up. Comics have been an important medium for Star Trek ever since the release of the first Gold Key comic in 1967 and they have continued over various publishers since that time. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Casey P…
- 374: Retreating Into Themselves
The Art and Making of Star Trek: Picard. On August 4th, 2018 at Star Trek Las Vegas a man well known to Star Trek fans walked on stage and announced that he was back to continue the journey of a character that had begun 31 years prior. In…
- 373: Rogue Nation
David Mack: Firewall. With the release of Star Trek: Picard the questions of what happened to our favorite characters from shows like Deep Space Nine and Voyager was once again up in the air and the introduction of Seven of Nine to the sho…
- 372: The Ties That Bind
The Art of the Impossible. The era between the Star Trek TOS movies and the beginning of The Next Generation has a lot of events that are referenced in the shows but were never seen, which is fertile ground for the novels to cover. In this…
- 371: Frenemies
The Sundered. The period between Star Trek Generations and the beginning of The Next Generation is ripe for storytelling and yet has scarcely been mined except in the novels. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew Rushing and Case…
- 370: A Father Talking to His Son
Derek Tyler Attico: The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko. The captains of Star Trek are some of the most revered characters in the saga yet there is only one whose story is as unique as the one who lead on Deep Space Nine. In this episode o…
- 369: Kirk's Joker
John and Maria Jose Tenuto: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: The Making of the Classic Film. Coming off the heals of Star Trek: The Motion Picture it was not a forgone conclusion that there would be a sequel yet since its release in 1982 t…
- 368: Set the Stage
Making it So. When people think of Star Trek, there are actors names that immediately come to mind and one of the first is Patrick Stewart for his portrayal of Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew Rushin…
- 367: The Anakin Skywalker of the Series
Cast No Shadow. The fallout of the conspiracy that Kirk and his crew uncover in The Undiscovered Country is not something that we get to see on screen, thankfully the books exist. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew Rushing and…
- 366: Helicopter Parents of the Galaxy
The Buried Age. Jean-Luc Picard's life is so much more than his time on the Enterprise, in fact he had a whole lifetime of events that helped forge the man we saw on screen in The Next Generation. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Ma…
- 365: A Huge Side Quest
Rebels: The Liberated. The revelations finally come in the final book in this trilogy, how the Tiffnaki came to be on the planet and just who the Liberated are that have taken over Emissary's Sanctuary. In this episode of Literary Treks ho…
- 364: Traditional Adventure
Dayton Ward: Somewhere to Belong. The crew of the U.S.S. Discovery was hurled into the 31st century and it left a lot of lingering questions for fans as season 4 picked up with everyone seeming to be completely fine with the massive change…
- 363: Ensign Never Finds Love
Dark Matters: Shadow of Heaven. The crew of the U.S.S. Voyager is on one of the most important missions they have ever been given as the fate of every galaxy hangs in the balance and Harry once again finds love in all the wrong places. In…
- 362: There's Always A Bigger Fish
Rebels: The Courageous. Deep Space Nine is no longer under Starfleet's care as the Bajorans take running the station for a test drive, while Sisko and the crew of the Defiant find themselves in a no-win Prime Directive scenario on one of t…
- 361: Find Out Next Time on Archies Comics
Dark Matters: Ghost Dance. The crew of the U.S.S. Voyager finds itself tasked with one of the most interesting missions they've had as they try to find a way of ridding the universe of the mutated dark matter. In this episode of Literary T…
- 360: Wagon Train to the Stars
John Jackson Miller: The High Country. One of the joys of a new Star Trek series is when the literature is able to fill in gaps and create new adventures for the crew. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew Rushing and Casey Petti…
- 359: A Planet of Children
Rebels: The Conquered. The mission of Captain Sisko was to help Bajor get ready for Federation membership so what better way to do that than to hand over the station to the Bajorians for sixty days to see if they are ready for the responsi…
- 358: The Bad Shepherd
Dark Matters: Cloak and Dagger. By the time that Star Trek: Voyager was released, there were not as many numbered books coming out for the series, so compared with The Next Generation or The Original Series, the amount of literature for Vo…
- 357: Was Nancy Reagan Right?
David Mack: Harm's Way. One of the beauties of tie-in fiction is the ability to fill in the gaps between episodes, giving authors the ability to show how characters deal with the aftermath of the life-changing events that don't always get…
- 356: Boldly Babysitting
Enterprise: The First Adventure. Every journey has a beginning which means the crew of the Enterprise from The Original Series had to become the family fans knew through working together, one mission at a time. In this episode of Literary…
- 355: A Pain in the Command Seat
Ship of the Line. One of the blessings of tie-in fiction is the ability of writers to fill in the gaps between episodes or movies in a franchise and Star Trek's literature has done that better than most. In this episode of Literary Treks M…
- 354: Give Us More
Star Trek: First Contact: The Making of the Classic Film. Star Trek is one of the longest running franchises and yet the amount of reference books, art books and making-of books that come out is sorely lacking compared to something like St…
- 353: Exchanged the Truth for a Lie
Warped. Star Trek books had a long history of event hardcover novels for The Original Series as well as The Next Generation, but for Deep Space Nine, the trend seemed to grind to a halt. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew Rush…
- 352: Would You Like to Know More?
Second Self. Star Trek: Picard lead to the end of the lit-verse for Star Trek which in turn has opened the doors for writers to fill in the gaps between the previous shows and the new series. In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Matthew…
- 351: A Win Win Win
New Earth: Challenger. The mission that the Enterprise has had to help safeguard the colonists of Belle Terre has been harder and more taxing that anyone expected, yet it is about to come to a close, but not before one more unexpected chal…
- 350: Handshake Across Time
Federation. Star Trek books and comics have been a backbone of the franchise from almost the beginning of the series, getting fans through many lean years when there was little hope of more stories being told onscreen. In this 350th episod…
- 349: The Micro Machines
New Earth: Thin Air. The planet of Belle Terre has been through hell as have the colonists from the Federation but what was thought to be a random Klaud attack may have made the planet uninhabitable for life, forever unless the crew of the…
- 348: The Easy Button
Daedalus's Children. The crew of the NX-01 finds themselves in a unique position, they're no longer in our universe and the one they find themselves in is hostile to the very proteins they need for survival, plus there is the possibility o…
- 347: Its Own Set of Tropes
New Earth: The Flaming Arrow. The colony of Belle Terre seems to just get out of the frying pan, only to find themselves in the fire, which leaves the crew of the Enterprise the task of once again finding a miracle to save the planet. In t…
- 346: A Series of Fortunate Events
Daedalus. The crew of the NX-01 has come across an anomaly that baffles even T'Pol so of course they must investigate and that's were everything goes horribly wrong leaving Trip and Hoshi stranded with a group of aliens in the middle of a…