Getty Images LeVar Burton, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis and Wil Wheaton attend the National Cable & Telecommunications Association press tour July 12, 2001
One of Starfleet’s best doctors has a brand new podcast, which is due to launch in the near future. Gates McFadden, who played Doctor Beverly Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), announced that she would be hosting the podcast in September, according to Deadline.
What is the Podcast About?
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The podcast will center around McFadden interviewing other actors from the Star Trek universe as well as some of the folks who’ve worked behind the scenes on the shows and the movies. As of December, the podcast was still unnamed as McFadden revealed on her Twitter account.
Once I settle on the name and edit I will give you a release date!! https://t.co/CoUn76RUi3
— Gates McFadden (@gates_mcfadden) December 23, 2020
However, she has been recording the episodes for quite some time. On December 10th, she tweeted to let fans know that she’d interviewed her former co-star, LeVar Burton, who played chief engineer Geordi LaForge on TNG. That tweet also revealed that she’d already interviewed several of her former costars.
did such a funny, wonderful podcast with LeVar today. Thinking podcast series may begin to air sometime in January. So far we have recorded six different sessions with my castmates —will put down another next week. more to follow. l do so love my Trek family!
— Gates McFadden (@gates_mcfadden) December 11, 2020
On December 22nd she let her Twitter followers know that she’d just finished recording with Marina Sirtis, who played ship’s counselor Deanna Troi on TNG.
Recorded my sista @Marina_Sirtis this past week for the podcast. Did any of you know she is funny!?!? who knew😂😂
— Gates McFadden (@gates_mcfadden) December 22, 2020
Who Else Will McFadden Interview?
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The same day that McFadden revealed that she’d recorded with Sirtis, she dropped another tweet, divulging the names of the other Star Trek fan favorites she’d already interviewed.
so far have episodes with Frakes, Wheaton, Spiner,Dorn, Burton, Sirtis, and more to come. hoping some with drop in January. will let you know for sure!!!
— Gates McFadden (@gates_mcfadden) December 22, 2020
In addition to Sirtis and Burton, McFadden’s podcast will apparently feature Jonathan Frakes (Commander William T. Riker), Wil Wheaton (Wesley Crusher), Brent Spiner (Lieutenant Commander Data, Lore, and B-4) and Michael Dorn (Worf). So, it looks like McFadden has already interviewed the entire Enterprise-D bridge crew for the podcast.
So far, McFadden hasn’t divulged any more names from her guest list. The last update about her podcast on her Twitter page came on December 27th.
i will tweet about it soon when it goes online. Merci for the interest!! https://t.co/8kvkJTECub
— Gates McFadden (@gates_mcfadden) December 28, 2020
Given the information in this tweet and the previous tweets from December 22nd, it seems that McFadden is still working on behind-the-scenes tasks to get the podcast ready for launch. It’s unclear whether the podcast is still on track to release this month, which was the plan as of early December.
Earlier this year, Deadline reported that the first season would include ten episodes. However, it doesn’t appear that this number has been confirmed.
The Company Behind the Podcast
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The podcast is produced by The Nacelle Company, a media company that has produced several television series about pop culture history, including The Toys That Made Us and The Movies That Made Us. This is the company’s first venture into podcasting.
Star Trek fans will likely notice the Trek reference in the name of the company. According to StarTrek.com, a nacelle is an external part of a spaceship where the warp drives are housed. The CEO and Founder of The Nacelle Company confirmed that his business name was an homage to one of his favorite shows.
“As the name of my company suggests, I’m obviously a huge Trekkie,” Brian Volk-Weiss told Deadline. “To be working with Gates McFadden on a project like this is a great honor.”
With a TNG alum at the helm, or mic, and a true Trekkie behind the venture, the podcast promises to be a treat for Trek fans of all types.