Final Frontier of Fun (Alliteration's Always Awesome)

*update: the live broadcast has been postponed until March 10th

Hey everyone,

This Sunday at 1 Central (so 12 my time and ... whatever your time) my favorite podcast Improvised Star Trek is doing a live recording. For those who don't know (and are thus uncool), IST is as its name suggests: Star Trek episodes with a whole new crew completely off the cuff.

And this isn't just some random actors doing a paid gig: these are true, hardcore fans who know their stuff and not only make episodes every other week but actually keep in character from show to show and preserve, for the most part, continuity.

The story: the intrepid (though this word either confuses or offends them) crew of the USS Sisyphus try their best not to come apart, both literally and mentally, as they encounter nutty Starfleet Admirals, aliens/ex-husbands of the week, and their own tortured pasts!

There is some great talent at work in IST, each actor bringing depth and hilarity to their roles. Matt Young plays Captain Julius Valentine Baxter, a commander in the loosest sense who finds everything either mildly amusing or arousing. Mary Cait Walthall plays Dr. Zarlene Zonalzon, a neurotic resident physician lacking self esteem. Irene Marquette plays the adorably naive, easy-to-hurt security chief feminist who can also kick anyone's ass.

The cast also includes Griffen Eckstein as psychotic, black hole obsessed engineer Fritz Fassbinder who is married to the starship, Nick Wagner as sexually malevolent Trill Ch'arles Lorem, Chris Rathjen as the brilliant straight man, 1st Officer/Riker Obsessed (beard and all) Corbomite Hayes, and lastly science/by-the-book nerdking Crick Watson, a moon-born officer thought to be a well constructed robot (played with glee by Sean Kelley).

Please check out the live show and, when you are done, check out the 58 original episodes (and many bonus scenes and shows) on their feed (via Stitcher or iTunes). And if you live in Chicago, go see them live. They perform two more times in the next two months.

Check out their website here and specifics on the live show here and here.

from left to right: Cmdr. Hayes, Captain Baxter, Ensign Lorem, Lt. Lady Cola, Dr. Zonalzon, Fritz Fassbinder and Crick Watson. Oh and the Sisyphus is crashed in the background.