The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim.

It has been over twenty-three years since the release of Peter Jackson’s first entry in the Lord of the Rings series, The Fellowship of the Ring and his production company is finding new ways to bring stories to life from Tolkien’s works. 

In this episode of The 602 Club hosts Matthew Rushing and Christy Morris talk about The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim. We discuss recent Rings, coming into this movie, favorite Middle Earth groups, an animated movie, a familiar voice, an unnamed daughter, the voice cast, themes, the connections, the music and our ratings. 

Chapters
Recent Rings (00:02:34)
Coming Into the Movie (00:06:08)
Favorite Middle Earth Groups (00:10:38)
An Animated Movie (00:12:58)
An Unnamed Daughter (00:23:05)
The Voice Cast (00:32:24)
Revenge, Power and Pride (00:36:42)
The Connections (00:43:14)
The Music (00:44:34)
Ratings (00:47:28)

Host
Matthew Rushing

Co-Host
Christy Morris 

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) 

Social
Twitter: @The602Club
Instagram: @the602clubtfm

The Penguin.

When Matt Reeves brought his interpretation of Batman to the screen in 2022 one of the things that had people talking after they saw it was the performance by Colin Farrell as Penguin.

In this episode of The 602 Club host Matthew Rushing welcomes John Mills to talk about the HBO show, The Penguin. We discuss coming into the show, the title character, a universe of one’s own making, creating a franchise property, no Batman, Victor, Sophia, Maroni, adding to a franchise and our ratings. 

Chapters
Coming Into the Show (00:02:38)
The Title Character (00:07:20)
A Universe of One’s Own Making (00:13:39)
Creating a Franchise Property (00:17:00)
No Batman (00:23:43)
Victor (00:30:14)
Sophia (00:39:22)
The Maroni Family (00:49:08)
Adding to a Franchise (00:54:26)
Ratings (00:57:15)

Host
Matthew Rushing

Guest
John Mills 

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) 

Social
Twitter: @The602Club
Instagram: @the602clubtfm

Una McCormack: Asylum. 
  
One of the joys of tie-in fiction is the way that it can delve into the backgrounds of characters to make the viewing experience feel richer because the fan has a greater understanding of what motivates the characters. 

In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Jonathan Koan and Casey Pettitt are proud to welcome author Una McCormack to talk about her Strange New Worlds novel, Asylum. We discuss starting the book, timelines, the Academy storyline, lectures, and interesting friendship, the mystery, themes, writing the SNW crew, references, using talents, heartbreak, a fun note, where to find Una and our final thoughts.                

Feature: Una McCormack
Starting the Book (00:03:50)
Timeframes (00:06:24)
The Academy Storyline (00:09:49)
Lectures (00:13:05)
An Interesting Friendship (00:16:09)
The Mystery (00:18:02)
Themes and Questions (00:22:42)
Writing the SNW Crew (00:27:12)
References (00:29:19)
Using Talents (00:34:41)
A Fun Note (00:44:56)
Where to Find Una and What is Coming (00:48:23)
Final Thoughts (00:50:30)      

Hosts
Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan 

Guest 
Una McCormack

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)

Mr. & Mrs. Smith.

There are a lot of things that have to come together to make a movie work and it is not always all the same ingredients, but you can bet that if you have the right director, script and cast, the likely-hood that the movie is going to work is pretty significant. 

In this episode of The 602 Club hosts Matthew Rushing and Christy Morris talk about Mr. & Mrs. Smith. We discuss finding the movie, casting questions, why they work, a marriage story, therapy, the action, the tone and our ratings. 

Chapters
Finding This Movie (00:02:49)
Casting Question (00:04:21)
A Marriage Story (00:17:14)
Therapy (00:23:29)
The Action (00:29:59)
The Tone (00:34:30)
Ratings (00:38:52)

Host
Matthew Rushing

Co-Host
Christy Morris 

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) 

Social
Twitter: @The602Club
Instagram: @the602clubtfm

“The Expanse” 20th-anniversary reflections

An attack on Earth by an unknown species forces Starfleet to call the NX-01 back and presents the crew with a new mystery, one filled with danger greater than anything humanity has faced. Tipped off by Future Guy that a species called the Xindi are behind the attack, Archer has to convince Admiral Forrest to let him go find these unknown bad guys. Meanwhile, Trip faces the loss of his sister, killed in the attack, and T’Pol finds herself once again caught between two worlds. And if that wasn’t enough, Duras and the Klingons are at it again.

In this episode of Warp Five, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 20th-anniversary retrospective that takes you through all of Star Trek: Enterprise, one episode at a time. In this installment, we close out Season 2 with “The Expanse” as we discuss how the story sets the show on a new course.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)
Clearing the Deck (00:01:41)
T'Pol's Arc (00:10:03)
Ripped from the Headlines? (00:17:32)
Injecting the Unknown into Star Trek History (00:25:55)
Trip's Loss (00:32:25)
Cut Scenes (00:35:49)  
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:44:11)
Closing (00:46:55)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)

The Nanotech War. 
  
Star Trek Voyager is a polarizing series to say the least and yet in the realm of literature, it has made for some of the best stories in Treklit.

In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan talk about The Nanotech War. We discuss the book not being numbered, first impression, first contact, B’Elanna and Seven’s arcs, putting everything back in the box, wrapping up with our ratings and final thoughts.

In the news we return to the comics and discuss the Sons of Star Trek series, the Star Trek 2024 Annual as well as the Star Trek Celebrations one shot.
 
News
Sons of Star Trek (00:04:21)
Star Trek 2024 Annual (00:11:53)
Star Trek Celebrations (00:16:03)                

Feature: The Nanotech War    
No Number (00:20:26)
First Impressions (00:21:54)
First Contact (00:27:30)
B’Elanna’s Arc (00:34:47)
7 of 9 (00:41:27)
Put Everything Back in the  Box (00:48:48)
Ratings (00:51:32)
Final Thoughts (00:56:21)      

Hosts
Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan 

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)

Catalyst of Shadows. 
  
The almost ninety year period between The Original Series and The Next Generation was perfect fodder for the novels to mine, connecting the dots between the eras as well as characters we would meet in the 24th century to those we knew from the 23rd century. 

In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan talk about The Lost Era book, Catalyst of Shadows. We discuss an Uhura story, Crusher vs Pulaski, the rest of the cast, other characters, the mystery, trauma, flashbacks and timelines, plus our ratings and final thoughts. 

In the news we talk about a newish book, a comic milestone and an upcoming novel release.
 
News
A Newish Book (00:03:52)
Star Trek 500 (00:05:46)
Strange New Worlds: Asylum (00:08:01)                 

Feature: Catalyst of Shadows 
An Uhura Story (00:10:17)
Crusher vs Pulaski (00:17:42)
The Rest of the Cast (00:18:56)
Other Characters (00:24:08)
The Mystery (00:31:25)
Trauma (00:42:55)
Flashbacks and Timelines (00:47:16)
Ratings (01:01:19)
Final Thoughts (01:05:59)
          
Hosts
Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan 

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)

Twister.

The middle to late 90s saw a dramatic change in visual effects technology for movies allowing studios to create films that they would never have tried to do before.

In this episode of The 602 Club hosts Matthew Rushing and Christy Morris talk about Twister. We discuss a cult classic, motivations, Helen Hunt, Bill Paxton, a love triangle, the motley crew, the villains, filming locations, VFXs and sound design, the soundtrack and our ratings. 

Chapters
A Cult Classic (00:02:50)
Motivations (00:07:37)
Helen Hunt (00:14:43)
Bill Paxton (00:18:44)
A Love Triangle (00:21:39)
The Motley Crew (00:27:35)
The Villains (00:30:58)
Filming Locations (00:36:55)
VFXs and Sound Design (00:40:29)
The Soundtrack (00:44:50)
Ratings (00:48:07)

Host
Matthew Rushing

Co-Host
Christy Morris 

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) 

Social
Twitter: @The602Club
Instagram: @the602clubtfm

Deny Thy Father. 
  
On of the beauties of tie-in fiction is the ability to go back and fill in important details or stories that might have been alluded to in a series yet the full story was never told, which is what made the idea of Star Trek’s Lost Era so enticing for fans. 

In this episode of Literary Treks hosts Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan talk about The Lost Era novel, Deny Thy Father. We discuss the story, the connective tissue, as snapshot, a change, political thrillers, big action, how it all turns out, cameos, Star Trek stories, ratings and final thoughts.

In the news we discuss the release of the final covers for two upcoming books. 
 
News
Cover Reveals (00:03:00)                

Feature: Deny Thy Father
The Story (00:04:22)
Connective Tissue (00:10:54)
A Snapshot (00:15:53)
A Change (00:21:05)
Political Thriller (00:26:12)
The Big Action (00:33:47)
How It All Turns Out (00:31:11)
Cameos (00:39:09)
How to Do Star Trek Books (00:44:16)
Ratings (00:48:40)
Final Thoughts (00:50:07)       

Hosts
Casey Pettitt and Jonathan Koan   

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Greg Rozier (Associate Producer) Casey Pettitt (Associate Producer)

Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Ever since Disney bought Lucasfilm, one of its main focuses has been on mining the Star Wars franchise for all it is worth and in that process the fan reaction to each new entry has been incredibly interesting to track.

In this episode of The 602 Club host Matthew Rushing welcomes John Mills in a crossover with Aggressive Negotiations from The Nerd Party Network to talk about the lasts Star Wars series streaming on Disney Plus, The Acolyte.

Host
Matthew Rushing

Co-Host
John Mills

Production
Matthew Rushing (Editor and Producer) C Bryan Jones (Executive Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) 

Social
Twitter: @The602Club
Instagram: @the602clubtfm

“If Wishes Were Horses” 30th-anniversary reflections

Bedtime stories are supposed to be fun, but one gets a bit too real for Molly O’Brien when the straw-spinning imp Rumpelstiltskin shows up in her room. Not the kind of visitor you want as a firstborn child. But that’s just the start of a surprising evening for the crew of Deep Space Nine. London Kings baseball legend Buck Bokai pays a visit to Captain Sisko, and Doctor Bashir finds himself in bed with Jadzia Dax just hours after being rejected over dinner. The weirdness continues to grow until the station and the entire Bajoran system become threatened by a spatial rift. As the crew races the clock to find a solution, Sisko realizes that both the problem and the solution lie in their imaginations.

In this episode of The Orb, hosts C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing continue our 30th-anniversary retrospective that will take you through all of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, one episode at a time. In this installment, we discuss “If Wishes Were Horses,” its fun veneer, the wealth of character and social commentary that lies beneath, and why Miles must be feeling like Lando Calrissian.

Chapters
Intro (00:00:00)  
We Should Be Awarded Brass Balls (00:02:47)
Leprechauns are Scary! (00:10:32)
The Danger of Imagination (00:13:07)
Facts Matter (00:14:04)
Julian and Jadzia (00:19:18)
The Fickleness of Fantasy (00:26:41)
The Beauty of Affinity (00:28:16)
The Star Trek V Connection (00:35:51)
First Contact (00:41:32)
Final Thoughts and Ratings (00:44:29)
Closing (00:47:16)

Hosts
C Bryan Jones and Matthew Rushing

Production
C Bryan Jones (Editor and Producer) Matthew Rushing (Executive Producer) Norman C. Lao (Associate Producer)