DECEMBER 29, 2023 - One of my favorite things to do here at DSTN is to conduct interviews. I am, at heart, a storyteller and I find people and their stories interesting. Plus, I get to meet some really cool people, many of whom are intimately involved in Star Trek.

This past year, I got to talk to actors, authors, screenwriters, special effects wizards, and directors. I prepared for sundry interviews by attending plays, cooking gagh, and watching entire seasons of Trek. I decided to end the year by looking back at all the interviews I conducted and picking my favorites.

This was easier said than done, for in truth, every interview I conduct is enjoyable. I have never interviewed a person who made me say, “Never again do I want to talk to that jerk!” I always learn something and I always have a great time, and I hope my guests feel the same.

As painful as it was, however, I set myself a task and I was determined to follow through. Out of the 28 interviews I conducted this year, I decided to pick 5 for this article. There are plenty of honorable mentions, including Rod Roddenberry, DeForest Kelley’s friend Kris Smith, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds director Jeff Byrd. But here are my picks of the best DSTN interviews of the year. If you have other favorites that I didn’t mention, let me know!

1. Anthony Rapp

You might know that I work as a Stage Manager, so it will come as no surprise that any time I get a chance to discuss theater with a guest I jump at it. I’m always happy to see Rapp onscreen, and his character in Star Trek: Discovery, Paul Stamets, quickly became my favorite of the series.

Rapp starred in his one-man show, Without You, off-Broadway at the beginning of the year and I had the opportunity to interview him and then see the show, which I thought was wonderful. I also happened to conduct the interview in January after I had seriously injured my back an caught COVID. Sitting up was painful and I wasn’t feeling like myself, but talking to Rapp was a high point (I guess, the high point) of my month!

Without You is headed for Boston in April, so if you’re in the area and haven’t seen it yet, you can order your tickets now.

2. LeVar & Mica Burton

I wanted to do something special for both Mother’s and Father’s Days this year. The Mother’s Day Exclusive didn’t end up working out, but happily, the Father’s Day one did and this was the result.

Mica Burton got the opportunity to play Alandra La Forge, Geordi La Forge’s daughter in Star Trek: Picard, opposite her actual father, LeVar, who has been playing Geordi since Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987. It will surprise nobody who has ever seen even a second of an interview with LeVar that he is a lovely human being, and he’s passed that on to his daughter.

Not only did the Burtons and I talk about cosplay and their work on Picard, but I fulfilled my lifelong dream of talking with LeVar about reading. (Hey, give me a break. I’m a nerd!)

3. Benji Bakshi

Benji Bakshi, like other cinematographers, spent the period of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes doing a publicity tour, while film work was scarce. He gave me a peek behind the curtain of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. A particular highlight for me was our discussion about the Augmented Reality wall, a technology that I find fascinating. I was thrilled with his willingness to share his knowledge and insights about what it takes to make an SNW episode look amazing on the screen.

A few weeks later we met again to discuss the making of SNW’s musical episode, “Subspace Rhapsody,” and you can find that interview on our YouTube channel.

4. Michelle Hurd

Michelle Hurd is the National Vice President for SAG-AFTRA, the union for film, television, and radio actors and I’d been trying to contact her for an interview about the strike for some time when John Billingsley (Phlox, Star Trek: Enterprise) contacted me to ask if DSTN would cover a Star Trek Day demonstration that he and Jonathan del Arco (Hugh, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard) were involved in coordinating. I took the opportunity to ask to speak to Hurd, and was not disappointed.

Hurd, understandably, was passionate about getting a fair deal from the studios and incredibly articulate. She helped our audience understand what was at stake and why the strike had lasted so long. Someday I’ll talk to her about her role in Picard, but this interesting interview was one of my favorites of the year.

5. Derek Tyler Attico

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has lots of fans, and I’m one of them. So is Derek Attico, and his love of the series is displayed in his novel The Autobiography of Benjamin Sisko. He and I immediately connected on a personal level and I count our discussion among my favorites of the year.

We geeked out about the show, of course, but he also let me in on his process for writing a book like this and how he made certain decisions along the way.

6. Midnight Mastermind

Okay, this extra one is completely self-indulgent, and I spent a long time debating whether to include it, but I think it’s a fun little outlier, and heck, it’s my list, so I’m tacking it onto the end here.

Back in May, I was contacted by BBC Radio 4 with an offer I couldn’t refuse. They have a late-night show hosted by British broadcaster OJ Borg, in which they run a segment entitled “Midnight Mastermind.” The night’s guest is a specialist in a particular subject and is tasked with creating a set of questions on that subject, which Borg then has three minutes to research and try to answer correctly. In the handful of episodes I listened to prior to my appearance, he never answered more than one question correctly. How did he do the night I was on? You’ll have to listen to find out!

I’ve already got a couple of potentially great interviews lined up for 2024, so stay tuned. In the meantime, have a happy and safe New Year’s!