2024 Year In Review

0:00 For it. Just going for it. Man, We're just going for it. Here we go. You went for it, We went for it. Yeah, I gotta say that we now asking. The interest happening. I know the interest happening, and I pressed them. I pressed the intro button. I'm not supposed to talk right now. Welcome to the Track Wars Podcast, the one podcast that darest answer the most important question and fandom, which is better Star Trek or Star Wars by going through both franchises and chronological release order. I am Kenny Madison, the Star Trek contingent that with me Esper always is.

0:46 It's me Aspen Webster, what's happening? Are we still going? I'm sorry, I have the I have the intro loaded as the original file, which hence I believe the beginning and the ending file attached to do it. Oh yeah, I made those. I mean I didn't write them anyway, but I think I mean no, no, yeah, I added, I'm asked in Webster, I am my Star Wars contingent? But am I am? I? Really? So? Who am I? Is the question I have? Do you think that you're the Star Wars contingent? Considered that? I believe you have the upper hand on the amount of Star Wars that has been watched in terms of all new content.

1:28 I guess if we if we define contingent by who has the upper hand, who's the winner? Yeah? I do. And speaking of the winner, I think it is time. I think it's time for us to make a quorum. Quorum here, ye hear ye, let us assemble and discuss the state of our franchises. Five yea. The time is now. Wait does quorum necessitate other people need to be here? You know what? Excellent question? You know, But I guess if the middle number of officers and members of a committee or organization usually a majority, who must be present for valid transaction of business. In that case, it's one two.

2:15 We are we are the members of trek boards. Therefore, thusly, yeah, this is a quorum in order to conduct business. We assembled. I was like, do you want me to grab the cat? Okay? Cats like me? I'm a Star Wars. Whoops, that's your headphone. Headphune. Just I found them? You found them? I found them? What like they were yours and you lost them? Or you just found them? No? I found them. I was walking along. It was an extremely early morning. I was like nine in the morning, I was cleaning out. I was like, what are these doing here? Why would someone just leave these here? And so I grabbed them. I figured that someone will be looking for them at some point. No one came along for them another I've just held on to them. Yeah, my god, my god.

3:11 Look at you. Look at you. You're such a like a special fancy boy. Now it's so cool. They don't even have chords. They don't have cords to wires. No, though I am checking the battery life, because that is one distinct advantage that corded headphones have over wireless headphones. I don't have to recharge headphones with chords. But we're not here to talk about the pros and cons of corded versus cordless. We're here to talk about Trek Wars and everything in between. How twenty twenty four was for both franchises, what we can look forward to in twenty twenty five for both franchises, and just a general amuse boosh of conversation. Yeah, would be would you be so brave as to say.

4:03 I don't I I couldn't dare say I'm as brave as you. I don't know if I call it a mooz booshe I think I call it a little sneaky. Snack, a little sneaky snack, sneez snack. So that's because I'm not brave. That's true. Of all podcasters. You are known as the most cowardly podcaster out there, second only to Joe Rogan. It's okay, he can beat me in that in that regard, yes, in that regard everything else. Yeah, anyway, Yeah, yeah, twenty twenty four, what even happened?

4:46 Tell you what happened? Two pieces of Star Wars that pushed the franchise in interesting new directions. Yep. Do we have any other animated things that happened? I had not updated the spreadsheet in this bell gotta say, I'm certain that I'm missing things. Yeah, I mean twenty twenty four, for Yeah, for Star Wars was Big Ones where the Accolade and Skeleton. Crew she pronounced Skelington crue. Skelington Crew. That's right, that's right, that's right. If there were other like I guess, I'm a little bit worried that other things came out, But I'm thinking they came out in twenty twenty three, and I just haven't I don't have a I don't have like a grasp on time anymore. Kind of freaks me out. So yeah, bad Batch.

5:40 You know, it's funny. I actually haven't watched bad Batch. Which is you do not watch bad Batch. I watched, I watched the first few seasons, but I didn't watch it this last year. I don't know why. Actually I think a lot of stuff about it, and maybe I just sort of like fell off of it, you know, I don't know. Actually I find bad Batch be extremely really interesting and beautiful and well made, and I think actually like carrying on a lot of what feels exciting about has felt exciting about, like Clone Wars or Rebels, and perhaps felt like it was missing in live action things like Ahsoka. Like I do think a lot of the spirit of Star Wars feels carried forward in things like bad Batch and I What are You?

6:25 Alcolyte and Skeleton Crew and maybe ways that it wasn't it was kind of missing. But I'm a little bit like I'm a little lacking in that way. Which again, am I am I not the contingent? Who am I? Who are you? Who am I? Who are you? Indeed? Yeah, indeed, I believe we saw the end of the Bad Batch, which neither one of us have gotten to. And because of the nature of this podcast, I am going to attempt to try and delay that as much as I can. I kept myself agrestive things like Acolyte and Skeleton Crew so they could go talk over at the whole the Maneuver about those things. Oh nice, good you talk about act or did I just. Keep watching Accolyte. I must talk about Acolyte over there on Hold the Maneuver, But I definitely talked about Skelington Crew over there, and you could hear my thoughts. Nice at length. Bat Batch did come to it, and a whole butt load of comics and books drop. Yeah, all of the canonical good lord.

7:26 Yep, be a comic person. Yeah. I think what it is for me is I didn't watch season three and I you know, it's funny because oh my god, yeah, I know there's Tales of the Sith. There's a lot. Well, tales are the Empire. Not only that tis the Empire, right, uh? The my In twenty twenty four and May twenty twenty four, I did the skyhol Skywalker saga in a movie theater just celebrate the twenty fifth anniversary of Star Wars Episode one, The Phantom Menace. H yeah, dude, good lord, Yeah that was so much fun. Outlaws, which you and me are not video gaming people, went, I know, the High Republic, something that I have tried to get into and has just completely missed out on. Yeah, just non interesting.

8:20 You know, it's funny. You know it's the final Waly fandom functions, right, because as we're going through this, I'm like, well, geez jeez, Louise, I feel like if I were talking to other Star Wars fans, I'd be like, you'dn't watch like any of these things. How can you claim this? And is that just a bottle of hot sauce that you just picked up? Oh yes, yes, yes, this debomb evolution from our friend Justin Boseid's forty seventh anniversary or forty seventh anniversary being alive. Yeah right, I was otherwise known as a birthday. I was there. It was really good. Surely you were there. I was there. I was there. You you did a you did a hot ones thing.

9:03 I just like that. It's just I just like that. It's like you're in your office, like, what other funny things do you have on your desk. See, I have the Atrider speaking of Star Wars. Beautiful, look at that? Look at that. I have Aaron Harvey's book Star Trek, The Official Guide to the animated series. Yes, yes, yes, glorious. I have the This is only going to be for people to subscribe to our YouTube YouTube dot com slash at Trak Wars spot. I have the NX zero one. What's the X one? Uh, the Enterprise, which you will get after we finished Star Trek Voyager okay one day, and then also my pride enjoyed the Dunkecino Cup from the Enter the Sandman movie marathon at the Alamo Draft where they gave out dunkos.

9:59 It's real cute and you know, a whole bunch of riff rath. Brief brath scoundrel. Take that. We're not here to talk about the detritus that is collected here on my desk, on my brand new desk. Here are these brand new. Digs we're talking about. Yes, yeah, you're new your nude digs. Talking about the nature of phantom. I think sometimes I get a little bit anxious because I'm like, oh, I should I should consume more if I'm going to like be someone that speaks with any kind of clarity about stuff. But then I'm like, you know what, Nah, it's okay. I'll watch things when I watch them. We've been watched lots of stuff, and I feel like sometimes and maybe it's just like a commentary on like what the point of our podcast is, which is like, I don't think we are often just being like, let's talk about this just solely within the context of Star Wars or Star Trek.

10:48 It's like, what does this mean for the world? What does this mean when we if we're like experiencing events in our lives, political, whatever it looks like, historical and see things through that. Through that lens I always gives us so much. So I've talked myself into not feeling guilty for not having seen a lot of the stuff that came out in twenty tenty for but I'll catch up and we'll talk about it later. Well, you've just don You've got ultimately, we've got the end of Bad Batch, Acolite, which you watched, Skelington Crew, which you watched. Yeah, yeah. Did you watch Phantom Menace whenever it came back out in theaters? I mean, did you just pop in the DVD. Yeah, I mean, I guess stream it.

11:37 I think I've seen The Phantom Menace so many times. Stream it, streamed it. I think I have just a copy of it that you've like shared with more than likely, yeah, like in Google. I don't know why it's special, but I'm like, that's the one I'm gonna watch. More than likely. It's the theatrical scan that I got. Yeah, somewhere someone but a thirty five millimeter print and they scanned it. See, Okay, that's what it is, and that's important to me. Yeah. Yeah, I found a bunch of PEPSI and I pretended like they were covered in Phantom Menace characters in order to celebrate.

12:20 That always still looking for that gold, Yoda can. Looking for the gold, looking for those POGs, you know, all those different POGs. So I yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, And I think, yeah. Sorry, I'm going to go back to this nature of fandom and participating in You know, you got to read the latest Star Wars comic because you have to find out what the next piece of Star Wars is as opposed to do I think what you and me do, which is, if this thing fails to resonate with us, any longer. We're just like, okay, we just kind of put it aside. I wonder, I mean again, Star Wars is always going to be in my heart. I think, you know, I'm wondering.

13:07 I'm wondering, wondering and wondering, just doing some like doing a body scan right now, what's calling one of my body rom I think the Acolyte stuff really bummed me out, not the show, that the show was a joy, and. I think according to independent rating system or I don't think that that's even necessarily true. According to Deadline Hollywood, a reputable journalist outlet within Hollywood truly, reported that Acolyte was the second highest viewed program on Disney Plus. Yeah, so that's Disney Plus putting out its own figures or whatever.

13:51 They're independent. It's either that or the independent assessment based on some whatever new fangled rating system is. Either way, the Ako Lite is the second highest watched piece of media that was consumed on Disney pluss. You can believe the narrative that is put forth by toxic assholes, or you can look the numbers. Yeah, all right, all right, and which I'm a sneaky suspicion that most people are like that's. Fine, as in oh the show, they watched it and they're like yes. Fine, yeah. Oh though you and me, I think we're both excited about Okay, we're pushing forward, we're doing different.

14:35 It does have that sort of vibe to it of it does feel it did feel sparkly and special to me, Like was it I mean it's you know, well, we'll use and Or as like our sort of measuring point because I do think and Or is so extraordinary to both of us. Is it and Or? No? But was it consistently interesting and filled with characters that have very specific motivations and like stuff I hadn't seen before. Absolutely that I feel engaged and like entertained by it one percent. Like I liked it. I had a great time.

15:15 I have this sort of like sparkly feeling. I think that like we we've talked about this throughout the year as we were watching it. Maybe it was more patrion ritid. I can't remember if we like talked about it like on main or anything. But like. Very infrequently in Star Wars, is there such a like a clear sort of like not maybe like sexual or romantic tension like you get like true sexual tension with Han and Lea, and then kind of in a lot of other pieces is just kind of so de sexualized. And even that piece alone, this sort of what I'm going to say, not pejoratively, very positively, this almost like romance novel like feeling of spark is pretty wild to see in my Star Wars and that alone makes it worth it to me, Like I feel like there is real there's a queerness about that show because I think you have a queer creator and queer people in it, like a Manala Stenburgh and like people of color, and there's a certain dynamis into it that I just don't feel like shows up in his other episode of other shows. Right, that's like exciting, Like it was exciting again, it was a perfect note. So many shows, though so many shows are have historically been allowed to have pretty good first seasons and then to be able to flourish with their follow up seasons, but not in a not in Trump's America.

16:47 Truly, Yes, that's exactly what it is. Because we saw the response on social media, which is that this is the worst Star Wars that's ever existed, and it's an abomination, and they're shoving their politics down my throat and like whatever, let's not engage with that stupid it's too much of a bummer. And clearly the numbers were like indicated that Acolyte did quite well, and I think and I. Would be curious about when those numbers happened, because there was a clear at least anecdotally seeing posts about it where people did not watch the show because there was all this information about it being bad or you know, the ratings, like people actually talking about the show. I felt like it was like fairly treated, but all the kind of commentary around it, I think kept people from watching it. And then I see all these different post where people were like I just watched Acolyte, are you joke?

17:48 Like this was good? Like what were people talking about? It's a real effect, like we really like damaging effect. It's it's you know, it's opposite word of mouth where mouth that this is bad and it was. Fake news, yeah, as opposed to what it is, which is at worst it's fine. Yeah, at worst it's fine. At best it's like, wow, that was really fun. I had a good time watching this, like yay. Please, and also doing the thing that Star Wars is so afraid to do. Which is push us in different directions I even knew, just different anymore.

18:28 Yeah, yeah, so I guess I guess there's a sort of like I wonder if I like, if I reflect on twenty twenty four for Aspen and Star Wars, like I wonder if I sort of felt sad and I love watching Clone Wars and I've loved watching all the pieces with you and I, so I'm going to do that all the time. But then when it came to like other pieces, there's like you wonder where you fit into where you fit into it, like where I fit into it, and like almost like in spite of things, but for other people, you know what, I like said and talk to you about Star Wars. When I talk to other people about Star Wars, like just fucking normal people, and I just like gang with not like absolute trolls on the internet. People just like Star Wars, you know. Like, but also I see, you know, it's so fascinating to me.

19:20 I see so many women and fem people who like don't and they feel like they are not part of it and they just never got into it. And that bums me out so profoundly because I. Do think it's not a safe space for women and people to participate in fandom. Yeah for Star Wars. Yeah, and you know, I think that twenty twenty four showed it. That's like, oh you, especially if you're like a person of color as well, like fuck you, like you don't get this space and it feels so disappointing.

20:03 Sorry am I Okay, I don't know. It's just like an honest just like an honest review of the thing of the year, like in review because yeah, and a lot of really good stuff came out too, like this is I really should I think watch Tales of the Empire, watch Bad Batch because I think they get to go under the radar a little bit. It's just good stories with extraordinary art being put out there that like people aren't like fucking around with even though they're like clearly still like stories about like exploited people, and you know. Like so because the animated shows are not real shows, as I'm pretty sure my partner Heidi attest.

20:44 To are you putting? Are we clapping? Because she doesn't think they're real because she's your partner, Okay, you're like he he doesn't think that it's real. Ea, So break though, like Clone Wars wasn't considered cannon until or Clone Wars wasn't considered with any kind of seriousness until ten years down the line. Because nostalgia makes everything improved by one hundredfold, which is why I'm holding out hope because we're we're now five years in now, four years in to Matrix resurrects. Oil boy, I've got what five more years before I want to I want to watch it.

21:29 So twenty twenty was that twenty twenty one? Yeah, twenty twenty one. Okay, we're three years then, right, okay, okay, and then people are going to be with me okay, okay. Don't called masterbase. So too will they be with to pull it back around? So too will they be with the acolyte where positive word or the negative word of mouth will have kind of melted away. And it's the nostalgia because you can capital because the forces that be, the capitalistic forces that be on nostalgia because you don't have to generate any new content from that. Instead, you can just co opt what's pre existing right there without having to create any new assets, as opposed to having to generate new things with new product.

22:15 Do you think I'm trying to think of like from a pattern perspective media consumption, there's like if there's like a really I mean people, it's easier to consume a known thing, right, I mean this is just like true for people in general, right, Like this is the whole concept of change management, is that even if like let's say you're working in a company and there's a new tool, this tool could literally make everything easier for you, like I don't know and like use Premiere Pro to edit your videos, and someone came in and they were like, here is like I'm going to give you this other new tool and it's actually truly going to save you time, make everything easier. It is actually better, and you would still resist, right because you'd be like, no, this is the tool. I know this, When I know this is it right, and it's easy and you flow through and we don't want to we don't want to change. We don't want to be challenged because it's scary and it's uncomfortable.

23:15 And that's just like true. And I'm wondering about that change management relationship with media and especially if like people are like I'm sure this relationship of like if you're feeling high anxiety, it's so much easier to consume a own known product, and also just the general discomfort of having anything challenged. And I'm wondering if like rise of fascism, and I mean this like it is. I don't know if you've seen people talk about how like you can actually see certain fashion trends that sort of like arise as like other historical things arise, Like there's more long, flowy trad wife type stuff out there as fascism starts to come up, right, like just wild, And so I'm wondering about like that, Like right, someone's probably got a dissertation on this rise of fascism with like rise of this as well correlational at best, but like you know, if you're resistant, obviously, if we're like resistant to new ideas, we're going to go with like what is the known quantity?

24:19 And I think all those things that are correct. I think all of those things are correct. And also I mean, now the new barrier is you compare that against two what the dominant form of media is, which is social media, where now there is no border for entry. All you have to do is just download TikTok, create an account, and suddenly an algorithm can curate everything and The worst that could happen is that you instantly swipe and something else better will supply itself better being whatever your your lizard brain would prefer, and if you just don't like it, you have to swipe away, as opposed to when I think television does require television movies longer media require, which is you engage with it in some fashion. Either that or it is something kind of designed like reality shows, which is designed for if I understand correctly designed for the passive viewer. That's not against it. That's that's a perp.

25:18 It is designed for you to be able to watch it in the background. You pay attention to the editing and repeating things so people in the cheap seats can get it again, not an a that's a feature. Someone I just saw, like just speaking of just like clips of things, like a comedian was saying that like watching that. What comedian, I can't remember. It went flipped by so fast, you know, but it was a stand up and it was basically like watching reality television. It makes it feel like when you watch succession, it's like reading a book. Anyway, it's just weird. Yeah, right, yes, that's the benefit. Because they were like, well, I'm like doing real it's our Maybe it's a downside of you're like, look, I succeeded, I did something hard.

26:04 Yeah anyway, Yeah, And I think a lot of people just don't want to think. And it makes sense because, at least for American life, it is built for you to be as anxious as possible, so you would be compelled to make boneheaded decisions that are against your interest. Yeah, you're flooded. Or we're not talking about our the doom abyss that we are staring into. We're talking about our two favorite things. We're talking about our complex relationship with those things and how they cannot be you dissociated from their. Like the context you and I, You and I, we two, You and I. You enjoy, we love these things, enjoy engaging with these pieces as reflections of the moment, reflections of the context of where they were born, reflections of what the heck did they mean? And I think there's also just a large swath of people out there who are like, come the fuck on, I am tired. Yeah, I mean, I just I just want to watch the same thing because please don't give me anything new. I'm tired.

27:14 I think there's a real validity to that. I know we've been sticking around on Star Wars for a while here, and we'll get to Star Trek eventually. I do wonder about Skeleton Crew. I didn't see a lot of commentary from people. I just kind of Skelington Crew. I just watched. But yesterday, here's a here's a hard thing to like explain yesterday Is that for my Is that is that? Cuse I'm brave? Okay. We were up in the mountains of Santa Monica mountains and it's it's non quantifiable, Like it's so hard to explain the way that Wars when I see things like open sky or stars at night, or like like Deserty type of course, lots of sand, something that I feel like it hits at some deep part of me, some this sweet child that feels free or wants to feel freer, right like maybe wants to like escape. And something about like those mountains reminded me of the way Star Wars makes me feel, which is so strange, like I don't know how to explain it super well. Obviously I'm like talking about these kind of vague feelings. And I was like, and I think it must be like the sort of

28:46 potential of adventure, perhaps tinged with fear, I don't know, vastness, but still danger. So that was an interesting moment for me because I was just like, maybe I'm like little George Lucas child in his California home looking out and being like I wish I could like it's beautiful, but can I get it? Well, it's not really beautiful, but where he was, but like can I get away from it? You know, like what does the world look like for me? What is the galaxy? And you know, I think I didn't feel it super super strongly, but I think I saw a lot of people feeling it the way that Skeleton Crew and this did actually happen. I'm like thinking about it now, like I do feel like Skelington Crew, Sorry Skelington Crew had a real but I think a lot of people sort of captured that vibrancy and that feeling of being a child and loving something so much and the danger of adventure. But also just like like, I think there's something really really like identifiable and what was the name whim when whim and Whim's like here I am in a structure that I don't really understand, and it's just the way it's supposed to be, and you take a test and you do that, and of course you want to dream for something more. Of course you want to like dream for adventure, and that venture doesn't always turn out to be what you thought it was and that's okay. But also like it's not like

30:16 like that show ended and it's not like he didn't want adventure anymore, like he was like no, no, no, like eyes open to this world, right, And I do feel like a lot of people saw Skelington Crew and were like, that's like I get to be I get to be that kid, like these kids are me, And that, I think is like that. Non it's not like the unhealthy nostalgia of like I want to go back to that. It's like sort of like hitting on a real true feeling that like sits in my heart. It's a complex thesis that Skelington Crew presents where the adventure is so much scary than you could have ever imagined, because the show is just dripping in that eighties scary kids movie field, which as to me deeply, it would have starred me as a child severely if I had watched it drip driven the eighty Scary Kids wagon. Yeah. Uh, the adventure is scarier than you could ever imagine, and it's more fulfilling than you could ever imagine. Right, and also home is better than you could ever imagine. But it's still broken.

31:27 Yep. The place that the place that the entire galaxy seems to want to get to is their home at Yeah, that's that's fascinating. I was. I was like, uh, oh, are you all about to be accidentally conservative and saying that there's no place like home? The answer is no, no, because it's still broken. It's still broken. Yeah, because all these people are taking advantage, or rather they're taking it for granted just how good it Isn't that all of the assistants will just continue existing. Yeah, because you can't just cut yourself off from the world or the galaxy in this case, you cannot just result. You cannot just resort to conservativism and just stay isolated in your bubble, because the galaxy will just come crashing in and you must be ready for it. So you must engage. You must be ready for the adventure, but also value what the heck that you that you haven't. Perhaps there has a greater context for those adults and seeing how great at at is, but also like Whim's father Windle, but uh, who is wearing big honking glasses looking hot as hell.

32:45 He's a real hotti. But also perhaps hitting home visually that he's a little bit blind to what the actuality of what the heck is going on because he's wearing glasses. That's why he's blind about it. It's visual storytelling, visual story poetry rhymes. So if that's if that's true, what's the visual storytelling of elephant people? Neil Neil's which one of them are cute and must be preserved. We must keep them safe forever? All that wants yes, storytelling. I did like it. I thought Skelington Act Lite was good. Skelington Crew is great.

33:32 I don't think. I don't feel that, not that we have to put it, you know, in comparison. But I thought Skelington Crew what it was trying to do, it's a lot more solid. Skeleton Crew wasn't great. It was a lot more solid than Acolyte was. I I felt, I felt that it would have been better served as a movie. Yeah, oh yeah. And I think I think it's just the pacing of it that sort of makes it not great for me, because I do think it truly, like there were episodes that happened where I was like, oh god, yes, I beautiful things happened in that show. And so it's only the pacing I think. I think it would have been a fabulous movie, Like it would have been so good, and I think it could have felt a little bit more cohesive. However, I'm with you if we are going to put them in comparison. Yeah, what it's trying to say is clearer. Yeah, what it's trying to say is clearer.

34:30 And the risks of the thing are also pretty pretty extraordinary. I don't know those are risks. It was delivering a whole bunch of new stuff to Star Wars. Yeah, which, as you and me are both very well to do. If Star Wars is to survive as a relevant thing, you know, it doesn't necessarily need to it is. Sometimes it is okay for art to end. Yeah, Endings is sometimes what gives things value. Yeah, but if Star Wars, if the capitalistic forces deemed Star Wars important enough to survive on, what it must be is continue to invite new things. And what we did we got suburban environments, we got pirates.

35:16 Which is love I've always I was. I was like, have we not seen pirates, and oh, we've seen. We've seen in live action because obviously, like we've seen them in Clone Wars and Rebels. It's Hondo and his whole yarn. Yeah. Sorry, I'm genuinely thinking in live action. I yeah, I don't, yeah, I mean actively obviously in animated. It's a simple yarr. It's in live action before. I don't think so narr. I feel the same way about witches too, like we got them in Asca, which is partly why I'm like, buck, yeah, witches. Like, but I did a online during the pandemic and did an online Star Wars show, like I think it was supposed to be like a Star Wars parody farst and just kind of ended up just being straight up Star Wars.

36:16 And the way I'd be like, fucking witches need to exist in these spaces and people are like pirates, and people would just be like what, and I'm like, we need to know. Like that's like one of my little fantoms where I was like, there's so much to Star Wars, Like, so I there is something it's really fun about. Let's bring real pirates into these spaces and like yeah, yeah, yeah for sure, like real high and of villainy kind of vibes. My least pavorite parts of Skeleton Crew were a the paying Yeah. Like you said, if the Soccer was a two hour movie, O god would have been I think we would have had something very special. Yeah and transcrimative.

37:01 Poor Star Wars. Yep, but it wasn't. You know. What I got really enjoyed was yeah. And the other things were that I wish it was even more self contained. No New Republic stuff at all, no light sabers. Just it was so close to being completely disconnected from anything that I think you could have taken it the extra five or ten percent and been like, Okay, cool, Now we can do adventures that don't even involve the New Republic or any governmental We don't know what the time is, we don't know what the place is. It's just because Star Wars is a vibe, Star Wars is a feeling, Star Wars is a set design.

37:43 I think I disagree, how dare you? I'm actually they gave it versus Star Trek right now, like different pieces of Star Trek existed in a time period, and you can give it context, and I think we like that. I like it whenever Star Trek exists in different time periods, Yes. Well, like I like watching Lower Decks and being like, I know at what time this is happening, Like I know that this is a time period where X, Y and Z has happened, but like A, B and C has not happened, So I know where I live in time and space. Literally. I like that, And I think Star Wars is also okay to do that too, like because I also because there was something about this where I was like, I'm pretty sure I know what time period we're in, and I think there's something very interesting to like post Empire that does give it a specific context of that I if I did not know that time period, I might not feel the same way I might not it might not have the certain type of significance, like what does it mean, Like in the same way that there's that episode of Mandalorian where they're on Coreussont that's self contained episode on Corossont with the doctor and like that whole pece that makes sense in the context of post Empire.

39:03 What does it look like to effectively re employ Nazis because they are like they are scientists as these pieces and I think it works because it's in that time period, right, so it provides it provides a parallel of our own experience, as our own context and our own histories and sort of gives it that kind of bump. So to have them be so isolated and secluded in that at and I think in space Pasadena does give it it this other shock of isolationism after a conflict. What does that mean? So I think in that way, I'm very much interested in it. I don't hate. I don't hate there's still being connections to like force sensitivity and lightsabers and stuff, especially because they're still going to clearly be like the fun of Jedi of like these saviors that come to keep you safe and that won this war for us.

40:10 I don't like. I think that actually gave a very easy end of like, well, we've got to trust someone who would be representative of this. So I don't know, I'm like, I totally understand your perspective of like, but I but I do think if it's treated, if it's treated thoughtfully, and it's not just done for the sake of like, you know, don't you like this, don't you like a Jedi? Don't you love a lightsaber, right, Like, if it's for that, I'm like, what the fuck are we doing here? But if it's giving additional context, is creating a feeling, it's giving a commentary, then yes, for sure. Such a long counter response, I still disagree. I understand our notions. I think they make sense. But also because think about Star Wars and Star Trek all the time, I'm gonna be someone that is going to be pushing it to be weirder and more even more self contained, less connections that way, you're opening things up.

41:09 Well, we've talked about that plenty that like Star Wars isn't quite in a space of taking the risks that Star Trek takes. Like, well, i'll say funny Star Wars show, Yeah, Dave Filoni took one big risk. Sexy Gungan. Was that a risk or is that just what we all didn't even know we wanted? You're right, it's what we wanted a yeah. Speaking of Star Trek the other Yeah podcast, are you aware? M hm no, there is a streaming film on Paramount Plus starting Oscar winner Michelle Yoh. That is a Star Trek film that is an hour and thirty minutes.

41:52 I am aware. I'm aware because I saw a lot of posts where people said this isn't good, it's not good and bummed me out. It make no mistakes. Twenty twenty four Star Trek possibly one of the best years in Star Trek that we've had, and they don't say that lightly in a very long time. We got season two of Prodigy. Yes, God was great. What an extraordinary piece of writing. Oh, we got the final season of Lower Decks, right, we got the final season of Discovery did the best that you could. My son, or rather my daughter, because Discovery is definitely my daughter, my daughter, and that is always trying best or her best, and I love her for it. No, we did not get season two Strange New Worlds, but season three is yeah.

42:50 But yeah, we got those three wonderful pieces a Star Trek and it was a very good year for Star Trek. And you participated with Prodigy, participated with Lower Attacks, you did not participate with Discovery. It's totally fine. I don't even know what happens in Discovery. Sure, my hope is they find things. Discovery, yes, very much. This year season five yees to discover things they do indeed discover. And then because the show was canceled spontaneously. They added a twenty minute coda that was like you kind of had a good ending right there, and then you went because they didn't know that they were getting canceled, got canceled, then added a twenty minute coda.

43:37 A little bit too much, sure, okay, and. Then we'll talk about this whatever or section thirty one. Better or worse than them just adding that enterprise going into the Nebula scene at the end of the last episode of TOS. Works words, I think, because that's not you know, them doing that. You know, the original version of turn About Intruder is still available. But you know, sometimes like whenever Star Wars, like in the end of episode three, where it's trying to tie things up just a little too neatly, sure, because George Lucas forgot what happened in the rest of Star Wars, and so he was like, oh right, Force ghosts Oon is gonna learn this off screen? Okay, Oh yeah, right, there's twins. What do we do over here? Come on, we don't have time to wrap this thing up, right, we do so too is the end of discovery, but not to liticate discovering. Sure, try a whole bunch of things, a lot of them didn't work. Then starting in season three, found itself found a comfortable groove. Yeah, and that's and then also pushed onto new territory. And whenever it was whenever it stopped being beholden to what has come before started doing its own thing, that's whenever the show sounds shined,

45:09 that's great. Lower decks, lower decks was great. Perfect my buddy Weisee. Yeah, it did not like lower decks whenever it first premiered, okay, because he was like, oh this is Rick and Morty light, and I don't like my star trek funny. He has now gone on to season two and is like, this is good that. I think that because Wes is as crotchety as I am whenever it comes to this stuff. He likes lower decks. That is very satisfying. I think season five was a really lovely place to end on not overstaying it's welcome, Yeah, because it would be very easy for it to keep going and going and going, and suddenly the effect of lower decks just kind of goes back and just kind of goes out, and instead lower dex is now and if they want to come back to it, if they can come back to it, but right now, it ended on the wonderful finale that we got. We got some fun space time, Shenanigans. Beard's great.

46:17 It was great every every episode, just like a little bit more. Facial hair was like one of my favorite bits of anything I'd ever seen. I loved it. Prodigy blew up what Star Trek could be. Yeah, in big exciting ways. Yeah, really Timy wimy, very doctor who very different. I very much liked it for it. Yeah, repiloted a long existing legacy Star Trek character into and gave him a lot of meat chewan acting wise, which was very exciting doing its own different things. Thought it was Robert Beltran.

47:02 That's right, too bad, too bad it with him, but. Not just Robert Beltrn. But uh you know Will whe oh Will Wheaton, you're right, well we will we Wheaton too. Also, Yes, you're right, you're right, You're right not toil like I don't know. I love Chacote and feel sad. Every rules and protigty. And that is a terrible thing to say, because Robert Beltran is. A bad guy exactly. Robert Beltran is a nasty man. Checkot is like one of my favorite characters. I want to sit, I want he and Prodigy is fantastic. It's so good what happens? And you're right, we'll Wheaten too, Like who gets to just like do interesting fun things?

47:44 Oh beautiful? You're right, you're right. It's been a few months since I watched it. It was funny because as someone who hasn't like seen all of Next Gen, I was like, what's this? What's going on? And everyone was like oh. I was like, I don't know what's matter. You just got to meet a cool new character that's got weird vibes. Yeah, I was right, what does Wesley does? This happened to Wesley? So yeah, yeaheah yeah yeah, you know, as a person that is new or to star Trek in comparison to me relatively, Yeah, how's my assessment of Trek in twenty twenty four? Good? Bad?

48:27 Wrong? Am I boneheaded? Your assessment? Yeah? Not the no, right, I gotta tell you, yeah, the truth of it. I didn't watch Discovery like we said, I'm so. I loved Prodigy and Lower Ducks so much like I and I agree with you on the Lower Decks piece. I think that was just enough. It was perfect, a great ending or ending that made me cry. I'm glad that they got the space to do that literal spaceflexion on those characters. I mean, it's interesting, your friend, we've I also like we he I can under like I.

49:10 That is a great example, by the way of maybe something isn't landing for you in its first season. What a gift to be able to see it explored and shifted and changed over time. You know, Kenny is closing his blinds because the sun was right in his eyes. That's what happens when I'm like Kenny and we're supposed to record later, but can we just like do it now? Follow the us? If follow us all, because I you know, there's this is the thing about characters, right like, Mariner starts out a certain way. Everyone starts out a certain way. You could go as far as to say really kind of a little obnoxious, a little bit of a shed.

49:56 Heead right, which is part of like her like charm. Yeah, and Mariner gets to become someone that keeps herself while also like gaining her confidence in her community and her love for people. Right like. And as I was sitting there reflecting on it in that fifth season and just thinking back on all that time. I was like, what a beautiful, consistent and gentle transition that got to be for that character. And you know, of course, like in the Boilern and the other and like everyone else goes through their own you know, shifts as well. But I'm like looking at her as kind of like the focus of it as an example, and like lower Decks got to got to be to me an ideal television program.

50:39 I just truly got its story and it was funny and it was so I'm I'm there. And Prodigy, on the other hand, I could have seen for more seasons, and I'm glad we got what we did. It was so thoughtful and it was so kind and it was so fun and it was interesting and everybody like, oh god, it was meaty, and I wish it could have had more And that's okay. Truly, truly, twenty twenty four was an embarrassment of riches for Great Star Trek. Yeah, and then twenty twenty five we go Star Trek Section thirty one n Aspen. Yeah. As a Deep Space nine fan, yeah, you'll die for Deep Space nine? What is what is section thirty one to you? I don't know, Oh, I do know.

51:26 Oh my god. I don't know what I was like thinking. I was like, I thought, we're talking about the. I think I think that that is a great answer to what is Section thirty one to you? I don't know actually answer. I think that is true. It's the CIA thing, the CIA of star Trek of Starfleet or the FBI type of like, yeah, that's what it is to me. It's like it's even it's even darker. It's it's like black ops. No one knows about it. It's so secret. Yeah, it's off the books, right, the Federation doesn't even necessary know about it, but it exists. It's like a little like it's very kind of X filesy to me, which is fun. So I don't know if I'm like excited for it, but like I think I'm excited for the potential of it. Like have I ever thought about Section thirty one? No, which is like this goes to show mey being like what are we talking?

52:23 Right? That's right, because we've even talked about this show as it was coming up, and I forgot maybe that's part of it. Actually thirty one. They wanted to do a Section thirty one show for a while or something with Section thirty one because fundamentally, I firmly believe the faults that are in charge of Star Trek are embarrassed about Star Trek and they're able to wrap their minds around Section thirty one because are like, I don't understand utopia, but I do understand like a fucking black ops thing because shit is dark, and I understand how to write for drama. I understand how to write for dark because dark is drama. Dark, dark, dark, dark.

53:06 I gabe it. Maybe that's why I'm a little bit like hesitant, because I'm like, doesn't happen to me? I don't know. And so we see, and so we see, like start trek into darkness. They use Section thirty one as just kind of a catch all for evil government, and then in Discovery they use section thirty one as a catch all for evil government, and then this one they use it as a catch all for suicide squad. Gotcha, not even the good the suicide squad. They use it as a catch all for suicide squad. Not even the good that the suicide squad. Yeah yeah, and you see, you see, here's what does work in its favor. It is not beholden to member berries.

53:55 Section thirty one is extremely self contained, which Sir Cool rules for the most part for sure. And then Michelle Yo is great. Yeah she shouldn't be this great. Yeah she's great. Other than that, every single thing in it is so generic. Yeah you have seen it elsewhere, huh, in a thousand different things. It is so uninterested in doing anything that is new, and it is so uninterested in doing anything that you haven't seen before. And it's so it is so over edited, it is so it is so bland, it is so over edited, it is cut to pieces, it is so bland, it's so flavorless that I'm wondering who is this for. The answer is is it a contractual obligation? Is this from people that are just like the Star Trek? Shit is embarrassing? I can I that thought.

55:01 By the way, we gotta stop. We gotta stop being embarrassed by things that we love just because they might not yeah, because they're they're nice, or even if they're not nice. This is not related to Star Wars or Star Trek. But I started reading of Court of Thorns and Flowers, the Court of Thorn and Flowers like a court of misted and fury, like they're these series that are like fairy romance novels basically with you know, politics and war and intrigue kind of stuff. Whatever. I started reading them, Hey, I'm having a great time. Like it's a little like eating popcorn and they're fun and they're books that yeah, like exactly popcorn is good, Like I'm sorry, I'm not reading like a Tale of Two Cities anyway. The people who like were like, hey, I think you'd be really into this, like just let me know because I love it. Kept being like I promise, like the other books are better, like is it okay?

55:57 Like it's not that great? And I was just like, why have we been made to feel embarrassed? Like yeah, if you're watching like dangerous bullshit and like misogynistic racist shit, yeah, be embarrassed, but like fucking be embarrassed for the thing that you love, Like be okay with like sincerity and authenticity and the fact that there's like sex in these books, Like that's okay. Don't you don't have to feel ashamed for that. Jesus Christ. Yeah. Anyway, that part of that's because they're, you know, it's kind of books that women are and fem people like that. We like associate with them and then we hate those things that women like. So whatever. Anyway, sorry, I just have that as a quick aside about like this like bullshit of like we should be embarrassed for our utopian like joy and our potentiality and we've got to be like this is bad and you know, and that's where real drum is book off.

56:52 It makes it makes me sad. I mean, Alex Kurtzman shouldn't be in charge of Star Trek to begin with Star Trek, the Star Trek that we know and love the concept, Alex Kurtzman. Yes, okay, great, you're looking up who Alice Kurtzman is. I'm so excited for you to find out what the credits you obviously just see Alice Kurtzman's credits. Okay, sleep a show I saw. Well, yeah, so he would be the producer on things like lower decks and stuff, obviously because he's in the Star Trek stuff. Okay, let me go back, let me go back farther, let me go manifeld Earth. What are these things? What are these things? He's a producer of these things, The Mummy, Sleepy Hollow, the show very right now, you see me too, producer limitless?

57:42 What am I looking for there's amazing Spider Man two exactly, exactly, Transformers exactly, start checking to darkness. Oh but the show Fringe, I kind of like Fringe a lot Cowboys and Aliens. That's funny. Original executive producer on the like not original, but like the jj Abram Star Trek Okay. Yeah, yes, and he was part of the brain trust that brought Star Trek back in two thousand and nine. Okay, Alice Kurtzman makes dumb things. Okay, you look at his career. Yeah, he makes dumb things. Yeah, yeah, Scorpy Star Trek, Star Trek can be dumb. But by the time that Star Trek came back, m I think Star Trek had the conception of it's a little bit it's a little bit high brow, it's a little bit aero dyite, it's a little bit sophisticated. You still meet like you still have Captain Kirk like fight a cat, and then you have like Picard played Diehard and Cisco get into a bare knuckle boxing brawl with Q. Yeah, so it's not a prey to be stupid. But at the same time, Star Trek, you're like, ah, thoughts, it's about politics and ideas. Yeah, Alice Kurtzman is not the guy that you bring in to overlook that stuff. He is not an ideas guy.

59:07 I think he is a studio man that's a steadyish hand that is willing to bring things in the way that the studio wants them. But it never turns out quite well, which is why it's a miracle that twenty twenty four Star Trek turned out extremely well because Prodigy, which got canceled, Lower Decks, which is done in Discovery, which is done, and then section thirty one feels like the it feels like it feels like the Catharsis of a whole bunch of people who are like this Star Trek stuff. Finally we get to do something that I want to do. Yeah, this isn't for dorks, This isn't for nerds. This is for cool people. And so you feel the postmodern influences, but it's so bland, it's so edgeless, it's not really saying anything. What visceral values that there are are so uninteresting. I don't care what it does to Canon. I never care about what it does to Canon.

1:00:13 Who cares? I think if you care about that, you're doing yourself an inherent disservice as opposed to opening yourself to the idea that it might be presenting something new in terms of artistic value, or in terms of trying to move you into thinking about the world in a different way, or some sort of feeling that it's trying to evoke. And I don't know what the feeling is that it's trying to evoke. You're outside of watching Michelle Yo do extremely good acting. She is giving so much more performance than this movie deserves. And it's very unfortunate that it is so bland is It is like flavorless pudding, and even then whenever you're tasting the pudding, you're like the textures off on this mm hm. And it's really unfortunate because there's some think good that could be there in mining the cost of utopia, because also this iteration of Star Trek is so beholden to the words of this is a utopian ideal, but whenever you look at what the actions are, it really wants to cut loose and just be its own thing. Strange New Worlds has managed to find that balance. Discovery did what it did as best as it could, and whenever it was able to do its own thing and kind of throw that utopia shit to the background. Then it became its own thing and it got better because of that. I don't care if Star Trek is trying to hold to Roddenberry's vision.

1:01:45 As we've talked at length, that's been Yeah, rotden Berry was an opportunist. Yeah, that fell backwards into something that people chibed with. I wanted to be good on its own turn. You know, as you were saying, I was thinking to myself. I was like, you know, we're here being like like I was thinking, goodness. This film could have been an interesting discussion on what is sacrificed for that supposed utopia, Like what does that mean? And yeah, like sort of having a sort of face. I don't like the conservative bent of like freedom, is it free? Because I don't that's not whatever going for here. It's more like challenging our notions of you know, these concepts. And it could have been I didn't watch the movie, but it sounds like, you know, if that's what's going to happen here, it's not just for like, it could have been more than just like flashy, flashy boom boom. It could have been that kind of conversation.

1:02:50 But the first imagine the first Guardians of the Galaxy movie, all the stuff that you love about it just kind of well it doesn't. You see the mechanics of it, but you're like, right. Right, there's no heart, there's no actual thing to it. It's just all aesthetics. It's just aesthetics. Yeah, And I and I think that is the thing like good creators can still because I was thinking, oh maybe there is something here of like the opportunistic piece of it. It's like, well, we just want to throw something out there that is like Transformers as flash and like that's the thing that makes us the money right now, given like the way people consume the media, but I think we've things have proven time and time again that like if they are genuinely good, like and they don't have a huge fucking like campaign against them, people will watch it engage with them and want to watch it engage with them.

1:03:51 People want to watch something that is good. Yes, people found their way to the Bear. The Bear was a slow burn hit. Yeah, yeah, people want to watch good things. They want to Yeah, Like you can feel if something's empty, even if you're not like looking for it, Like a statement to be made because. Like, shoot to go back to your transformers as flash. I own multiple copies of the two thousand and nine Star Trek movie. That movie. It's a good movie. Yeah. Is it dumb as a back of cats? Sure? Yeah, but it's fun, dude, it's good on its own terms. Duh. It's fun.

1:04:31 Yeah. Yeah, Like, stop being embarrassed of this stuff and just do what you want. Yeah, just do this thing, My god, that's really Anyways. What we have to look forward to is season three is strange, New worlds exciting, and also what we have to look forward to is Starfleet Academy and starring Holly Hunter. What if a grumpy little shorty was in charge of Starfleet? Love that me? And I'm in charge of Starflake. Oh I'm in charge of star Flake. Ma, Well I guess that's true. And we're just gonna have to stop acting like a long tailed cat in a room full of rock and tears, and let's just get. This together and go, oh gosh, go get me a starflake, Go.

1:05:19 Get me a startling, Go give me a Starfley. Do you remember, really Hunter in the Big Sick? What a great rule? Do you want to get the pizza? Fuck? Yes, she should have wanked that in an Oscar nomination for that. She's so good in that movie. She's so good, Oh my god. And also Rare Ramono Raremona is phenomenal in that movie What did You Do? What did You Do? I know we talked about its funny, but I always think about that joke, the like, so nine to eleven, what about it? He's like, well, just you know, it's just like, yeah, we a lot. It's still lot of good.

1:06:08 It's so funny. Anyway, looking forward. To her, looking forward to her being in Star Trek or her Apologiamodi so phenomenal, very excited for that set in Discovery Universe, which I'm very very excited about, brand new. Brand new, But in Discovery Diverse, yeah, okay. We get Tilly. It sounds like they're carrying over the best parts of Discovery. Okay, and hopefully it gets to do its own thing. It's gonna say it sounds like Star Trek. Star Trek gets to still be contextualizing time and space and near and do it. Yeah, it gets to be its own thing.

1:06:55 That's fine, well, Discovery. In season three of Discovery, they shop forward from the twenty third century because the show was said like ten years for the original series. They were bending over backwards to make it make sense in Cannon, and I was just like, this is hurting the show. And the third season threw themselves all the way into the thirty first century, all the way after established Cannon, so it was able to do completely new things. And once it was able to do that, then it was. It was. It was separated from all this embarrassing Star Trek shit, and suddenly Utopia wasn't a thing anymore. And I was like, Okay, this is unexpected, but we'll see. And it was.

1:07:35 It was making a real argument for the value of Utopia in these dark and desperate times. And I was like, all right, man, here we go. We're doing right, okay. And then the Star Wars. Yeah, I'm looking at twenty twenty five Star Wars. We're going to get and or season two, which I have to hope is going to be fucking incredible. Mm hm, bad Batch wrapped up again. I need to watch We got Star Wars visions again, so we gotta that'll be really fun. I haven't watched any of visions. Should I watch visions? Wow?

1:08:16 What are bringing? Endorsement? I didn't watch it either. I'm realizing I was like, I need to like check I might have actually, no, you know I didn't. I didn't actually because I know it was actually fairly anime esque, like anime. Trix esque, and you hate animation. I do. I famously think that live action is always a better, uh version, so I probably should. I think it'll probably be really interesting. But it sounds like I didn't go back to their anime roots. Use season two coming this year. I'm looking it's not returning until twenty twenty six, and then there's comics. Of course, it looks like there's gonna be so there'sn't like a ton coming that's really kind of interesting.

1:09:07 It was like stuff and you know what, because Disney was like, there's too much Star Wars, we got to scale back, and so I think they were only going to commit to one thing a year. I know, know, we've got Mandalorian and Grogu the Mandalorian movie coming at some point, which. There's going to be that hot stinky hots stinky so funny to me. Yeah, there's gonna be Mando Verse movie. There's of course going to be James Mangold Star Wars movie there's gonna be a new Jedi Order movie from charmine O Bay CHINOI that's cool, Daisy, really see if that happens. Yeah, we'll see if it happens, if better fucking happened. And then yeah, apparently there's some Star Wars trilogy stuff in the future. Yeah, maybe tagaway t. I don't know who knows what they happen or not.

1:09:57 Man, that's not gonna happen. Yeah, I wouldn't. The main Gold thing is very exciting. I think I secretly become a James Mangold fan because he just keeps consistently delivering four star movies for me. Four stars out of five stars. Uh freaking Dial of Destiny should not have worked. And you and me were right there next to each other being like, are we watching Indiana Jones movie not directed by Steven Spielberg that is working? I really I like it. It's I still haven't seen a complete unknown. I have seen. Versus Ferrari fundamentally is a movie that shouldn't work, and I was just being like, yeah, for you beat those people that are hand crafting cars individually.

1:10:42 That's also a movie where I was like, I don't want to see this, he's just dumb, and I was like, I'm so invested. It's great Logan. I freaking love Logan. Interesting me and gold Mike just be that kind of director that is able to deliver incredibly solid movie or solid more than solid, very good movies. Yeah, understatement interstate. Yeah, I'm into it. And it's something new and different and weird, like the beginning, like the sort of like origins biblical and scope. That's fun. Look, I know I don't care about canon, but if they don't bring in one of my favorite pieces from Star Wars Legends Cannon, which is the lightsabers with the power chords, I'm gonna lose my mind.

1:11:34 Lightsabers of power cords? Is that kind of like a Hitachi long. In the tails of the Jedi comic book series, you see old old Jedis and their lightsabers are attached to their belts and they have power cord to them, and I that's just an image that has not gotten out of my mind. I think that that's so cool. I think it's cute. That makes sense, and then you don't lose them as easily because they're still attached to you. On a court, it's so easy to lose lightsabers apparently. Yeah, I'm a little bit. I'm gonna be honest with you. I'm into this, like scale it back a little. I think what happened was I got overwhelmed. I got like super overwhelmed by it.

1:12:15 All Star Wars feel. Flooded by everything. To be honest, I feel flooded by everything. You know what I want to do though, so bad is I'm so close to Disneyland. I want to go. I want to go to Galaxies Edge. I just want to go Scalcy's Edge. That's great, you stupid idiot. But Universal their fan past night where they're going to have an enterprise D there. Oh, you'll just be a hot skip and a jump from standing on on the D. Okay, get on that D. You want me to get on that D. I want you to ride that please? Okay. I know you texted me this, so I'll look into that too. I can do two things, Kenny, I can do it.

1:13:03 As the premise of our podcast, we're trying to answer the ultimate question of bandon which is better Star Trekers are Aspen? You could you could rate Galaxy's Edge versus the one Star Trek ride at Universal Studios. Incredible, incredible, I should No one will go to Disneyland with me. I'd go, but I don't live in California. I know, I know. I'm considering just like going alone. Do it so you wouldn't have to worry about anyone else has been That's true. That's true. I'm thinking about just like going on a Thursday, just taking the day off wonderful, just so you know, just everybody, so everybody knows my research here like different like there's different ticket prices on different days and different months, and like there's a pretty cheap like it's like one hundred and four versus like getting up to the one sixty two hundreds for other days, like at the end of February on like a random Thursday, And I'm.

1:14:00 Like, that could be me. I could go. You could just go to Disneyland and be happy. So yeah, yeah, that's that's a goal. That's a twenty twenty five goal. Go to Galaxy's Edge and just be like, I'm here this it all. So did we do it? I think we did do I think we done didn't do it? We done didn't do it? Yeah, the state of the franchise, Uh, say what you will It's always interesting, that's true, even with this stupid Alex Kurtzman era. That Star Trek is in very interesting. It's been, it's been lots of peaks and valleys. Twenty twenty four was a real peak year, and who knows what we're about to enter into a valley here. Either way, it'll be interesting.

1:14:53 Statement on the world, Cirk twenty twenty five. And yeah, you can only hope that art will save us. Speaking of saving us, once you go ahead and contribute five bucks to our Patreon on patreon dot com, slash at track Wars pod or just slash track Wars pod for five dollars a month, you could get early versions of these episodes and extended versions of these episodes, and you know, just help us pay the bills. Every single bit counts. And you can also sign up for our dollar tier where we will literally just say your name on the air and YouTube could join the fine houses of fine folks such as Timbo, Dessa, Heidi Rogers, Oh boy, who are they?

1:15:39 Who are they? Kenny? There are patrons. Are patrons as if we are tiny little children in fifteen hundreds Italy and we sing little songs and we are given money by our patrons. That's correct. I'm usually so good at this stuff, but I have to have I can do so much of this stuff off the top of my head, but I have to have the patron with That's okay. Up here, that's okay. I clearly am not even helping you. We could be painting paintings of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our patron is the Catholic Church. Is that weird?

1:16:23 You too could join the fine Auspice as a fine folk, such as Timbo to Sosa, Heidi Rogers, Kevin Miller, Arizona, Mark Austin, Aaron Harper about about Cactus. And lastly, but certainly not leastly Jolty Partner, who composed our I starship at theme song that we did not hear this episode, but that's okay. We'll be back to it next next episode. Our theme song and ending song was composed by mister Chustin Ali Festo. If you would like to hear more of his music, please visit the show notes below, click on the link that is his name and enjoy all of his work. If you would like to reach us on a non Patreon method, us Uptrek Warspod at gmail dot com also on Blue Sky at Track Wars pod as well, and Asmen lives in Los Angeles, so just knock on every single door, Asmen's bound to be behind one of them.

1:17:11 Oh boy, like that, that's scene in love. Actually you'll find me cool. Anything else happened? No, man, I think that's great. That's good. I freaking love you so much. Thanks, look at us. I'm excited for our podcast, and I'm excited for our continuing friendship. I love you. I love you too, audience, we love you. May the Force be with you and been. Following a prosper I haven't seen baby Girl yet.

1:17:54 Wow,