Ep.2.38 "Damnit, Jim... Conway" with James L Conway

It's season 2, episode 38. Legendary Director - TNG, DS9, VOY, ENT, The Orville, and more - JAMES L CONWAY stopped by to talk with Connor, Erica, Dominic, and Mark about life, career, and Trek.
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CONNOR TRINNEER
DOMINIC KEATING
ERICA LAROSE
MARK CARTIER
SPECIAL GUEST
JAMES L CONWAY
PRODUCED BY
MARK CARTIER
PRODUCERS
CHRIS MOSCATIELLO
ERICA LAROSE
D.R. TIBBITS
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS
CONNOR TRINNEER
DOMINIC KEATING
MARK CARTIER
DIRECTED BY
MARK CARTIER
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
KEVIN MCMAHON
EDITOR
NATHAN MCCOY
PRODUCTION AUDIO
CHRIS MOSCATIELLO
POST AUDIO SERVICES
NORTHERN LIGHTS PRODUCTIONS
SOCIAL MEDIA & COMMUNITY MANAGER
ALINA "NINA" BIRLEANU
TRIVIA SEGMENT COURTESY OF
ZACH EAGLE & CHRIS HODGIN of THE RANDOM REDSHIRT PODCAST
STYLIST
JOBER VELASCO
WARDROBE FOR ERICA LAROSE
DRESS BY VERDUSA
“AT THE COSPLAY HOP”
WRITTEN BY GARY GRAHAM
PERFORMED BY THE SONS OF KIRK
GARY GRAHAM - VOCALS, GUITAR
MIKE THOMPSON - LEAD GUITAR
MARC RIVERA - BASS GUITAR
NEIL MURZINOWSKI - DRUMS
PHIL METZLER - KEYBOARDS
© 2023 SHUTTLEPOD SHOW, LLC

[@davidsantillanes3139]

Can't wait until you guys have Jolene on! That would be so great. Fans don't get to see much of her. Thanks Shuttlepod!

[@DavidCDrake]

I love the sound effects that only *slightly* mask the swear words. 😂

[@deanesgrow2086]

I teared up when James mentioned his wife's passing, partially because of Dom's heartfelt reaction. You all are pretty great. Thanks for the time and energy you guys put in

[@jayjayripoff]

Evening all, from good ole Yorkshire, UK. I just want to pick up a nice little point Dom makes at the beginning regarding the presence of directors, and some of the creative people behind the scenes and processes, not been able to partake in the convention circuits.... I think, with the support your show in particular, many of us fans are starting to see what we have been missing. The insights and stories these brilliant minds can bring to the panels and discussions of the shows, are really informative and entertaining. I hope to see more of the people, from behind the lens, stepping onto stages and sharing their experiences at conventions. I think it would be welcomed by the fans. Even conversations between the actors and the directors, producers, arts dept, set designers, ect... Are part of a shared experience you have had with these people. They should not be missing out on accolades ans credit to their craft 😊 Let's see more of that please. Peace to all. ❤

[@deborahanderson6617]

I used to go to loads of Stargate conventions and we are always asking for directors as convention guests such as Peter Deluis and Martin Wood but we never got them 😣

[@Dpixtion]

Love all the behind the camera stories…. Thank you.. heartbroken when they cancelled Enterprise..

[@dee_mcgee11]

Mark Quote of the Day after finding out James was preping for another podcast: "I'm sorry ,there are other podcasts?" 😅

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Hahahaha! Rad.

[@daveagreg]

This was a fantastic time with James Conway! He's fun and has great stories - thanks @ShuttlePodShow ! ❤💛💙🖖🏾

[@positivealignment]

the magicians were brilliant. so great hear all the shows I love he was involved in

[@GB00K44]

Great episode everyone! I must agree that "Broken Bow" was the best of the series premiers. Thank you cast & crew! 🖖

[@danspawn85]

Thank you for the membership gift Mark. If the show had been sold to stations in areas which UPN wasn't available, I believe it would have survived. The exclusivity kind of doomed it. I don't think most people saw it till DVD's and syndication.

[@jC-kc4si]

I remember Voyager debuted syndicated on my local CBS station because UPN was not yet up and running in my area.

[@ShuttlepodShow]

You are welcome!!

[@parkpunk2]

1:28:00 Saw Hangar 18 in the theater when I was 9 years old. Loved it and still do.

[@motionpablo]

awesome interview! James is a very talented Director

[@LACaradoc]

So excited to see my name in the Patreon list!

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Us too! Haha. Thank you!!

[@j.r.marchley1563]

James is an unsung hero of so many Star Trek series. Incredible contributions to the legacy. Enjoyed his many series and Hangar 18 is one of my favorite films.

[@andy-ford]

Great show as always! I'd love to see Jennifer Lien on your show. I think she's often overlooked or ignored because of her mental health issues but I think having her on a show like this would be a great boost for her.

[@baronfartheadjones9405]

This episode is so delightful. So much joy and Jim brings such charm. You guys keep killing it!

[@DFord-rv3nz]

Ladies and gentlemen I just wanted to say to you guys to the actors in the series that you guys have a huge fan base but just understand you did your job that's why people feel so deeply about the series. You deserve it. Thank you very much.

[@eliotanders3488]

Great video! The history that James knows is fantastic. I remember Karl Kolchack, the Night Stalker, and Magicians, Grizzly Adams, etc. Really neat walk down memory lane!

[@shutterbug8860]

A story set at a convention where a murder happens was done as an episode of Castle. It was actually directed by Jonathan Frakes (and if course he also made a cameo).

[@bdchiaccio]

I'd heard Connor's pirate story many times, but this was hilarious. Great show🎉

[@imzadi66642]

Great episode again! Love the way he turned the table with Connor's "beef".... brilliant!!! 😆

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Hahaha

[@doublee3886]

The person who "discovered" Patrick Stewart was Robert Justman (source INSIDE STAR TREK, co-authored by Herb Solow and Robert Justman).

[@Amyzlt]

Great episode - Thank you Shuttlepod for bringing all these fantastic interviews to us every week :D

[@ChipsAplentyBand]

The reason fans gravitate so readily to the actors instead of to the writers or directors is because actors provide the visible faces, voices, and apparent personalities of their characters. I think this is the majority basis of the superficial aspects of the celebrity caché of actors because fans have become invested in the characters. However, via interviews with actors, writers, producers, directors, costumers, make-up artists, casting directors,special effects people, and all the set-related and administrative professions, fans become better acquainted with all of these contributions to a production and can better discern the characters from the actors themselves, and thus better appreciate their acting SKILLS, plus they acquire the larger context of what a beloved series or film really is and involves. Actors should not feel short-changed or cynical when fans don't distinguish as well as they SHOULD between themselves and their characters because this means they've done their job as actors WELL-i.e., they were believable and convincing-but this does reflect the difference between audience perception of the IMAGE of a character and the reality of who the actor actually is. Most actors have been audience members and fans of others themselves and understand this dynamic, but I've always wondered if acting teachers and schools are dutiful about warning their students about it in advance-? Maybe the actors on The Shuttlepod Show can comment about this topic sometime. One of the reasons I love The Shuttlepod Show is that it lets me see who the actors-both the hosts and your guests-are themselves, and that in turn lets me better see the differences between them and their characters and thus more objectively appreciate both their performances and themselves.

[@BarrySteindel]

Excellent show, and excellent guest! I got lost for a couple weeks but was back for Robert. I am so glad to see (and hear) you using the omnidirectional clip-on microphones now. Not missing anything when someone turns their head to speak and looks better.

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Thank you!! Hahaha… we have those because of y’all!

[@lindaanderegg7920]

Greetings Shuttlepodders!!

[@told2stop]

Great interview, really enjoyed it. Thank you all for putting the time and work into doing these, highlight of my sundays.

[@SeamusLavery]

I’m pretty sure that Dom is thinking of the UK show Spitting Image which had a whole bit about Reagan’s brain going missing.

[@sparky955]

Watching this show is like setting down with your extended family…who you actually like…and chatting about everything. You all have created such a warm, funny, engaging program. Proud Patrion! Thank you all!

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Thank you! And thank you for the support and for being a part of our awesome community! You are rad.

[@drew_M]

1:32:44 I really like the analogy James made between directing actors and playing war with toy soldiers. That's a really cool way of putting it.

[@gazpal]

Brilliant content and conversation as always 🙂

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jefffortney4261]

Keep up the great work, Shuttlepod Show team!!!

[@odesseus]

Thanks for such a great show!

[@JamesCairney]

That painting of Riker isn't "off" it is historically correct relative to the episode where he devolved into an australopithecine. The painting shows his part devolution. I'm sticking with that, it looks good!

[@Vulcanerd]

Connor: You want the 'Aaahhh'? Casting director: I think I'm entitled to. Connor: You want the 'Aaahhh'? Casting director: I WANT THE 'AAAHHH'! Connor: YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE AAAHHH! 🤪

[@susanrendina3008]

Dom - I also love the Chet and Bernie stories - by Spencer Quinn - there are a ton of them now and periodically I will read another one as they are fun feel good books.

[@montanawardog]

Had a great time listening to all the lovely folks on screen and the fella that brought so many stories to life for us as a director. When I was a teen, my step-sister's high school did a showing of the Grizzly Adams movie and it was awesome. ONE LOVE #WashGang!!

[@ShuttlepodShow]

#washgang!!

[@pattytrek]

Fantastic Episode Thanks

[@Vulcanerd]

TOS and TNG are my jam, but Duet is an all timer.

[@Krypton_Ken]

Great interview! James directed a lot of fantastic Star Trek episodes but DS9/Duet is probably my favorite, one of the best in the entire franchise. TNG/Neutral Zone was an incredible reintroduction of the Romulans, especially after a somewhat lackluster season 1 and Enterprise's Broken Bow premiere is simply outstanding. Cheers, everyone, I'm glad the strikes are over and we can really get back to nerding out over Star Trek again. 😁🖖

[@charlesyeo5528]

Hi are you guys busy like doing convention recently Thank you so much for all the shows look forward to hear from you soon thank you so much shuttlepod show love all shuttlepod show and commander shran😂

[@benjaminmcgregor1250]

You guys are just brilliant. Love to carry on with your stories too.

[@icemanyeo4191]

I remember scott bakalu said we found the picture in your room all burst into laughter

[@louisea966]

always a great show. what a wonderful guest!

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Thank you!!

[@mugglescakesniffer3943]

It was a great show and when it finally grew the beard it got the axe.

[@johnsieverssr8288]

Loved the show... I believe Jim Conway has been affiliated with all my favorite shows. 😍

[@drwho37]

Ive always wondered if there is a way to order prints of the artwork behind them

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Yes. They are going to be available on our website soon!

[@therexbellator]

New to the podcast, and loved it! Great episode too! Connor and Dominic (and the rest of the crew) were excellent. Really enjoyed the retrospective with James Conway, he was fantastic, and it was awesome to hear his (and everyone else's) insights behind the scenes. My only aside is a slight difference in perspective as a viewer on where Enterprise went wrong. I do not think it's necessarily that ENT reprised old Star Trek's formula, it's just that it did so in ways that weren't always *good* - some episodes like S01E04 "Strange New World" fell flat. That and UPN interference made the show feel tonally un-Trek, especially the constant use of Jolene Blalock as a source of eye candy, some iffy retcons, and the show's focus as a prequel but the Temporal Cold War muddied the waters to the point where the show didn't know what it wanted to be. Then, as Connor says, 9/11 really threw the trajectory of the show off, which is a shame because season 4 was arguably its best. It's a shame Paramount and the UPN heads were so short-sighted. Enterprise definitely deserved a second chance. I hope that the modern era of Star Trek at Paramount+ can give Enterprise a proper redemption arc.

[@claycornify]

put Scott bakula on please

[@martywilliams5236]

I love the magicians. Wish it had more time on the airwaves

[@wandamundy1759]

The comment keeps being made that Sir Patrick Stewart was an "unknown," inexperienced actor prior to his involvement with Star Trek. He was only unknown to US television audiences. He was an extremely WELL-KNOWN stage actor in the UK - with the Royal Shakespeare Company - alongside his best buddy, Sir Ian McKellen, Dame Judy Dench, Emma Thompson, Alan Rickman, etc. Also - he had played the part of Gurney Hallek in the first De Laurentis movie of "Dune.". He may have been "unknown" to US TV audiences - but he was well known in GB (the UK), Canada, and most of the Commonwealth countries.

[@kennethbaker5223]

James is such an interesting man! I love hearing stories about the making of the show!

[@marksmith9176]

Love the stories. I believe Enterprise is the best of all the Star Trek series with the best of all Characters. Thank you for entertaining me for five years. It is the only show that I was disappointed had ended. “The President’s brain is missing…Ahead of its time.” Hilarious.

[@Mandassina]

I'm a couple of weeks late viewing this episode because life's been crazy, but it was great as always, informative and entertaining. I never get tired of the behind-the-scenes stories, but the one about Jolene's navel piercing really made me giggle. For those of us living in the flyover states, that sounds about typical for Hollyweird and California in general. In fact, I have always believed that if real honest-to-god aliens ever made first contact and it happened out there (or in certain stations of the NYC subway), no one would ever know. Actually, I just hopped on here to say, because I don't where anyone else has mentioned it, that Mr. Conway's dessert choice is perfectly legitimate under the rules of the game. Pie a la mode is a dessert choice separate and distinct from either pie or ice cream. It even has its own Wikipedia page. :)

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Hahaha. Excellent!

[@kelsiegavin]

I was 14 when I saw The Boogens in the theater. It scared me so much I went into my mom's bedroom while she was asleep and I slept on the floor.

[@harmonbrentdm]

Yeah I think you guys should do both Enterprise Pilot and Enterprise In Mirror Darkly epoxides with James L Conway.

[@susanscott8653]

Fascinating!🖖Thanks for another terrific episode.

[@davidcarlisle6244]

Erica I was curious about the reference to "Rose". went to imbd and your web site and found Rose🌹 I am old enough to have watched Star Trek TOS in the late 60s and am a fan of all scifi. Really enjoying the Shuttle Pod Show Thanks.

[@aaronknight7129]

Big city small village. Is that the Hollywood version of many are called but few are chosen, dominic?

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Not exactly. LA is a huge town but hollywood is small- everyone knows each other like in a village, so keep your beak clean.

[@BrianMaidenO2]

The president's brain is missing was a recurring theme in Spitting Image in the UK during the Reagan days, which may be what Dom was thinking of...

[@TheTuubster]

1:10:00 Surprised how puzzled Trek actors are about that AI technology. Because the Holodeck or the Replicator are Generative-AI devices: EnvironmentGPT and FoodGPT. You prompt it what you want, and it renders from its database the best approximation. To me this technology feels right at home, because through watching Star Trek I am familiar with it since decades. :)

[@rsmeith2757]

Connor GREAT paintings, man, so good.

[@BlackieBloomberg]

lol still not letting analogrex go, I love it

[@gcarstgc]

Hello!

[@chrisveness1892]

great show as always but there is no way on Earth James is as old as he alluded to (film schools in 1968), he only looks in his late fifties.

[@onethreefiveeye]

🖖greetings from Germany

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Hello Germany!

[@onethreefiveeye]

@@ShuttlepodShow ⭐️😘

[@miyahollands6136]

it was Spitting image in the UK, that did a character arc with their Ronald Reagan puppet. they had a quest to try and find it, as well as a bunch of other stuff revolving around the similar theme

[@Veritas1980-Chill]

Dom should read the Dresden Files. They are about a real wizard in modern day chicago who makes ends meet working as a PI.

[@icemanyeo4191]

So funny Enterprise NX01 bloopers Captain trip said i got something that might give you a leg up then cut is a terrible line and Archer also said is a terrible line is cheapest thing so funny

[@charoleawood]

Just like guests are given all the works of Shakespeare they should also be granted all ice cream because it's the most common answer anyhow and it allows a person to choose pie without having to question whether they want it a-la-mode.

[@ChipsAplentyBand]

I think we could also solve the issue by recognizing pie-a-la-mode as a VARIETY of pie (like lemon meringue pie also has a topping) rather than as both all pies and all ice creams.

[@charoleawood]

@@ChipsAplentyBand Indeed. Still, though, the answer "ice cream" occurs often enough (even though Mr. Conway didn't select it) that I think it should just be granted to all guests and then they can select the one dessert dish most important to them.

[@johnmarus8352]

I think it was Robert Justman who "discovered" Patrick Stewart at (don't remember if it was UCLA or USC), and then said to Gene, etc., that he had found the captain. However, if I remember correctly, there were other actors, like Armin, who saw Patrick teaching the course, but had no connection to Star Trek at the time. Feel free to correct/clarify me. Great episode!

[@tonyshane1]

Still very curious how the decision is made regarding censoring of curse words. Last time with Robbie the f-bombs were left alone and this episode they brought back the bleeps.

[@terryauer2518]

My bonus item on Conner s island is a hot tub with all the embellishments

[@tyrn6523]

Cool.

[@philippedrouin3008]

Where are the new episodes at?

[@unitruth]

Greetings humans

[@ShuttlepodShow]

HUMONS!

[@mjcartier]

First!

[@margitmargann3099]

Joker!😉

[@StarFleet_Tech1701]

11:53 - uh oh?

[@swordsnstones]

Dom....i luv ya but please stop interrupting speakers

[@flexydex8754]

the never ending story

[@JoeBackes]

What did Connor say? It sort of got lost in cross talk. "And we lost Karen..."

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Oof. I dunno. Do you know the timecode?

[@Norrie_Rugger]

There's Dominic's Irish heritage, at 2:47 Fil-um

[@TheycallmeMrWonka]

Isn't every new work that comes out influenced and at times based on what came before?. That's how ideas evolve. I don't quite understand the point that AI can use what came before to create a thing. Hell, even if it was somehow able to create something from let's say a Data positronic brain where it doesn't need to see past ideas, it would still create something that had elements of what came before. It's literally impossible to avoid that. You kind of just have to accept the reality of it and if it were to create something too based on a work then deal with that one thing at a time.

[@ShuttlepodShow]

I don’t. The lawyers and copyright holders and the owners of the AI algorithms do. I’ve discussed the line of thinking you discuss above and its effects for rights holders before, so I’m not going to do it again here- but relevant to this point is the fact that I am not, nor many others in the know on this issue, going to put my work on the line when the legal challenges to how the rights all work is looming. Additionally I am a huge proponent of AI as a tool. Did we suggest otherwise? (Well, other than Dom saying basically “it’s for the kids” hahaha. Thanks for being here!

[@PtolemyCeasar]

I want more Doug Drexler, sorry, not sorry.

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Hahaha. Right!?

[@PtolemyCeasar]

I love that man!!!! @@ShuttlepodShow

[@mugglescakesniffer3943]

Humor a problem? SORRY? Do you know how many seasons of Stargate there were and that had tons of humor, I think Sci FI is lacking in humor and Stargate did a great job. The Orville Horizons did a great job balancing it as well.

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Well, Dom doesn’t speak for all of us. I fucking love The Orville.

[@martyolson1464]

Another great ep looking 'behind the curtain'. Dom and Conner really have a talent in drawing out good stories from their guests. Gotta admit, I don't understand 'bleeping' F-bombs, while letting Coneer's G/d's fly, which seems way more offensive, and kind of disappointing.

[@ShuttlepodShow]

Bleeping cursing is like finding grammatical errors in someone’s transcript. It is not a conscious decision to skip cursing. We try to find them all. But you know- time and money.

[@martyolson1464]

@@ShuttlepodShow lol! Whaaat, you mean you're not on 7 second delay??!! Jk 😉