The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 19: It Becomes Wrong – Star Trek: Insurrection

Star Trek: Insurrection threatens to cause an insurrection of its own in the newest dive into the Star Trek
film vault on The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular. Glenn &
Scott are joined by Scott Criscuolo to break down the fountain of youth,
how a family feud becomes a parable about imperialism, F. Murray
Abraham, what could have been done with Data in this movie that would
actually have been interesting, the late stage of Jerry Goldsmith’s
career, what insights can be gleaned from Michael Piller’s book about the writing of the film, and how The Next Generation
deals with being jammed into a standard action movie formula. This
podcast is replete with Scotts but doesn’t get confusing…not that we
care about such things in this day and age. So pop a gorch and join the
latest Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular!
If you have any questions or suggested topics for a future Star Trek
mailbag episode of the Spectacular, contact Glenn or comment on the PTBN
Facebook page!

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 18: Where Was Your Evolved Sensibility – Star Trek: First Contact

Star Trek: First Contact tries to add The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular’s distinctiveness to its own, as the Star Trek vintage vault series continues. Glenn & Scott discuss genre drift as First Contact lurches from horror film to action thriller to something more akin to a Star Trek
story, and as the Borg lurch from zombies to vampires to insects. They
also discuss the meaning of the Borg (and how that changes now that they
have a queen), why Captain Picard invites the whole collective to the
gun show, the bizarre eroticism of the Borg Queen, the beginning of the Star Trek future, and the beginning of the end of a Star Trek series. Now with the intense discussions of starship design you’ve all been asking for!
If you have any questions or suggested topics for a future Star Trek
mailbag episode of the Spectacular, contact Glenn or comment on the PTBN
Facebook page!

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 17: What's So Civil About War Anyway?

Captain America: Civil War is here, and Glenn & company are ON IT.
The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular convenes its panel of Glenn,
Scott, and special guest Tim Capel to take sides in this evitable
conflict and break down Marvel’s latest marvel, including a spoiler-laden
look at the causes and uses of the movie’s central conflict, how Our
Heroes are used, the ways that Civil War changes the landscape of the
MCU, and the Stan Lee movie we all really want to see. Scott gets bogged
down in the physics of Ant-Man, while Tim provides the crucial
perspective of someone who actually knows something about comics.

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 16: To Live Forever – Star Trek: Generations

The generations meet as Star Trek: Generations arrives in The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular’s Star Trek film vault series. Glenn & Scott break down The Next Generation‘s
arrival on the big screen, including all the ways and all the times the
torch was passed, how Captain Picard is like Tom Bombadil, what it
means to have a TV production staff making a movie, aging, regret, the
pull of duty, the dual symbolism of the Nexus, James T. Kirk:
Existentialist, Data & Picard’s feels, symbolic sacrifices,
normality, and what we leave behind. You don’t have to wait until
Tuesday for this episode of The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular!
Find Glenn’s article on the wider Star Trek franchise in 1994 here.
If you have any questions or suggested topics for a future Star Trek mailbag episode of the Spectacular, contact Glenn or comment on the PTBN Facebook page!

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 15: Goy Vey

It’s time for a quick Campaign 2016 update on The Glenn Butler Podcast
Hour Spectacular, as Glenn & Scott welcome Steve Wille back to the
podcast to examine how some of the candidates are campaigning among Jews
in the lead-up to the New York primary. Candidates are rolling out
matzah, quizzing Yeshiva students, listing their favorite figures from the Tanakh,
bragging about their grandkids, and much more — and the ol’ Spectacular
is ON IT. By the end of the show Scott hardly has any face left to
palm. So get a bagel, try to parlay it into some votes, and enjoy a
policy-light and sarcasm-heavy discussion!

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 14: Don't Let it End This Way – Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

It's the end of an era, as Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country comes under the watchful eye of The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular. Glenn & Scott examine the final voyage of the collected Original Series cast, including its story's parallels to the end of the Cold War, the celebration of Star Trek's 25th anniversary from the perspective of its 50th, the crew's abruptly increased space-racism, the return of Nicholas Meyer, logic as the beginning of wisdom, things and supplies, and more adventures in budgetary restrictions. There's also no small amount of debate as to what exactly one should call Spock's violation of Valeris. (Warning: discussion of rape and torture from 38:31 to 53:40.)

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 13: What Does God Need with a Starship? – Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is the latest entry into the
Star Trek film vault series, as The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour
Spectacular investigates one of the most derided entries in the
franchise. Glenn & Scott welcome special guest Erik Amundsen for an
in-depth discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of Star Trek V,
the character dynamics, William Shatner’s turn in the director’s chair,
how the film also reflects Shatner’s interests as an artist, the film’s
place in the development of the Star Trek franchise, the meaning of
Uhura’s nude fan dance, Doctor McCoy’s stance on euthanasia, and whether
The Final Frontier deserves the reputation it’s accrued. The
three also consider two very important questions: what does God need
with a starship, and why is Captain Kirk climbing a mountain?
We need our pain, but sometimes the words aren’t important, what’s important is that you have a good time singing.

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 12: There Be Whales Here - Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

The Star Trek film vault continues with Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home in the latest Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, when Glenn & Scott welcome Andy Halleen back to the show for a laid-back discussion of one of the most aesthetically and financially successful entries in the series. The three discuss The Voyage Home's shift into comedy, the ongoing transformation of William Shatner, colorful metaphors, orbital mechanics, the whale prime directive, and how each of the movie's characters are used & developed. Also, Scott does his impression of whale song, because of course he does.
We won't eschew you on the latest episode of The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular!

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 11: A Fighting Chance to Live – Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

The Star Trek film vault continues with Star Trek III: The Search for Spock,
as The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular takes a turn towards the
meditative. Glenn & Scott welcome Tim Capel from PTBN Comics to an
in-depth discussion of the third Star Trek movie’s place in an
ongoing story, its theatricality, Klingon linguistics, Christopher Lloyd
& Mark Lenard’s differing approaches to gravitas, how death can be
turned into a fighting chance to live, the inability of Commander Kruge
to see past his own worldview, the film’s distinct lack of Kirstie Alley
& Bibi Besch, and finger-sex versus finger-foreplay. Glenn sings
the praises of James Horner’s lyrical score, Tim gives a brief rundown
of the state of Trek comics in the early 80’s, and Scott explains why the film’s finale might be the best single scene in Star Trek history.
Get yourself an Altair water, hit the antimatter inducer, and enjoy
the latest episode of The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular!

The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular, Episode 10: Re-Closing the X-Files

The X-Files have been closed once again, and Glenn & Scott
welcome Andy Halleen back to The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular
to follow up on their discussion at the beginning of season ten now that the miniseries has fully taken shape. They discuss the return of various styles of X-Files episodes, whether the limited six-episode run hurt or helped the show, the value and quality of cliffhangers, the launch of The X-Files: The Next Generation with Agents Einstein and M-Something, a drug trip to remember, X-Files
as viewed through the lens of sports announcers, terrorism, and much
more. Also, Scott lists all (and we mean ALL) of the people who could
possibly be on the ship.
Spoilers abound in the latest episode of The Glenn Butler Podcast Hour Spectacular!