The Great Big Beautiful Podcast, Episode 105: Nicholas Meyer
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We continue SPACE WEEK (which began last episode with a Star Wars geekout) with a good old-fashioned Star Trek geekout. Because today on the show, we’re talking to Nicholas Meyer. There are a few creative names that rise above the pack when talking about Star Trek: Gene Roddenberry, D.C. Fontana, David Gerrold, and Nicholas Meyer. Meyer directed Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, which is indisputably the best Trek film ever made. He also wrote the screenplay for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home and directed (and wrote the screenplay for) Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
So yeah, he’s been pretty instrumental in the best installments of the original crew. And he’s currently working as a writer and producer on the upcoming Star Trek: Discovery. Which certainly bodes well for that show.
But Nick’s career is much more than just boldly going where none has gone before. His directorial debut was the incredible Time After Time (which is a fascinating time travel tale about H.G. Wells and Jack the Ripper). He also directed The Day After, which was an incredibly controversial take on nuclear war during the early ’80s.
Often credited with bringing Star Trek back from the dead (after The Motion Picture nearly destroyed the franchise), Meyer doesn’t receive nearly enough credit for essentially doing the same for Sherlock Holmes. His novel The Seven-Per-Cent Solution broke new ground for the character, and he followed up that success with several other titles.
On this episode, we chat about our memories related to The Day After, Sherlock Holmes, Nick’s acceptance to the Baker Street Irregulars, Star Trek, creative freedom, and time travel.
Connect:
- Nicholas Meyer is on Twitter here.
- The show is on Twitter here and Facebook here.
- Jamie is on Twitter and Instagram as @theroarbots.
- Justin is on Twitter and Instagram as @140JustinC.
