STARSHIP: The MUSICAL That Was WAY Ahead of its TIME

[@m.urphy.s]

Trying to convince other Starkid fans to watch Starship is a struggle. I personally love it so much.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

It is truly a diamond in the rough that went overlooked even by myself for the longest time

[@thebugthatruinsyourpicnic]

I really hope Cinderella's Castle convinces some people, considering that they'll be using puppets

[@squidpile]

It’s a good thing the friend of mine who introduced me to Starkid loves Starship. Meant I definitely had to see it

[@david-jonballinger6638]

I feel like it was so popular when it came out and now it feels like it’s faded into obscurity in the fandom 😢

[@SingingSealRiana]

Yeah, despite the chqracters being so good and the flex of having dylan sing both the big bad and the heart of the play.. So good!!!

[@Visplight]

Junior: "Megagirl, can you kill humans?" Megagirl: "No. But I'd like to." I'm sorry, that line will never stop being epic.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Megagirl is a whole new level of sass that has never been seen since

[@anobservatory4227]

First off, I too am looking forward to the puppetry for Cinderella's Castle. Secondly, how have I never noticed that Tootsie Noodles was holding his gun backwards!

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Tootsie has so many hidden features throughout the show, Dylan Saunders must have had so much fun throughout this whole show as both characters

[@FiatVentusCreations]

I was so distracted by how much I liked this show that I didn't realize that it wasn't popular. I'm so excited to see more puppets from Starkid.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

An underrated gem that hopefully Cinderella Castle will pull more eyes towards

[@aboredguywithaninternetcon4663]

While Starship may not be my favourite StarKid musical (It's definitely still up there), I think the songs overall are the best of any of their shows I will die on the hill that 'Kick it up a Notch' is the best StarKid villain song. Beyond that, the rest of the songs are so amazing. There's not a single one that feels worse compared to the others. A lot of the time with musicals there are one or two songs that I don't like nearly as much as the others, but I find myself listening to all of Starship's songs all the time

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Kick it up a Notch is indeed my favourite Starkid song of all time, hands down, if there was only one Starkid song I was allowed to listen for the rest of time, it would be that one

[@Fire-Lord-Azula]

"I hope you like shishkabab because you should always like yourself!" Is the most underrated line ever. shows bug's personality beautifully

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

A truly incredible one-liner!

[@0_Not_Myself_0]

God, I remember making an essay about this play in my last year at highschool. I legit had to cut a full page, because I went too far in the introduction to the plot, characters and writing process. I know people mostly like the Hatchetfield tales and Twisted, but from the puppeteering itself, great story and adorably awesome characters I think Starship is very underrated by a longshot. Loved the video :)

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

The video turned out a LOT longer than expected but it is just so densely packed with each and every interaction having a direct impact on the plot, characters and jokes being told throughout the show!

[@theanonymousunknown1949]

What did you get on the essay? Just out of curiosity 😋

[@0_Not_Myself_0]

@@theanonymousunknown1949 sadly an 8,5 if I'm not mistaken. Apparently, cutting one page wasn't enough and it was "too descriptive for an opinion article" Even though I had like, two or three paragraphs about my opinion on story and the production quality, not to mention the part about the availability of musical theatre in my state and country. Not at all exaggerated, I swear, just a two page essay that was supposed to be three about a musical on KZbin. If that's too much, you should've seen the group presentation project our class had for philosophy, where the quickest one was twenty minutes and the longest was almost two hours. That's what happens when you give your high schoolers creative liberties, tbh :)

[@theanonymousunknown1949]

@@0_Not_Myself_0 hey, you wrote something awesome! And while you didn’t get the grade, I think that’s pretty cool 😎

[@0_Not_Myself_0]

@@theanonymousunknown1949 aw shucks, thanks :D

[@amrys_argent]

"Eep op ork ah-ah" is from The Jetsons, and "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few" is a Star Trek reference.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

aaahhhhh, those ones flew under my radar, great to learn what ones I missed from the comments though!

[@mel-burnes]

wait i was so certain the second one was just a saying in english, what has star trek done no me lmao

[@amrys_argent]

@@mel-burnes I mean it *is* a saying, I don't think the phrase was coined by the writers of Wrath of Khan, but Spock stating it is iconic enough that, given all the other sci-fi references in Starship, I took it as a nod.

[@omniscient.nescience]

Starship was my favourite show for the longest time (having only recently been replaced by NPMD) - I truly hope the puppetry in Cinderella's Castle inspires more people to check it out, it's a gem

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Can't wait to see how the puppet designs come out for Cinderella Castle, form what sneak peeks we've gotten the mechanisms seem much more complex than Starship, it's gonna be so interesting to see!

[@1LilSpark]

It just got edged out of my top 3 for NPMD

[@hollyzandstra4413]

When I first started watching Starkid, Starship was their most recent musical. I remember it felt like such a huge step forward for Starkid, and its wild that I'm still here appreciating it more than 10 years later. In the Cinderella's Castle livestreams they discussed the fate of the Starhip puppets, and the poor Pincer puppet got put in the dump cause they couldn't transport it cross country. It's sad that such an amazing piece of art couldn't be preserved.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Hearing what happened to my favourite part of the show has broken my heart, rest in peace Pincer puppet, may you live on through every rewatching of the show

[@1LilSpark]

That was my first “Live” KZbin premiere (I’d seen AVPM/AVPS/MAMD & Little White lie prior though) All their shows are brilliant in their own way

[@BitPlayer8147]

FINALLY!!! A STARSHIP VIDEO ESSAY!!! This show has been my favorite starkid musical ever since I decided to watch every starkid musical and it does not get enough attention in the fandom.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

It was always in the back of my mind, but after making a video on it, it really does deserve far more love

[@muchosconfuzzlement8258]

junior has to be one of my favorite starkid villains. brian holden absolutely kills it and he is so funny the whole time.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

brian holden is so damn iconic in each of his roles, he gets overlooked too often I feel

[@SingingSealRiana]

He is cute but pincer steals the show for me, ...

[@giraffe6856]

I actually thought Starship was ahead of time during first watch. the concept, and overall vibe? felt like very classic 90s 2d animation film. And I can actually imagine this specific musical becoming a 2d animated film, and people thinking back of this film and go "that was a cult classic" because it really felt like that to me. Idk why but Starship feels nostalgic to me, even though I've never been around that time when this musical came out nor knew Starkid.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

you really get that Saturday morning cartoon feel form the promotional material and posters for the show

[@ziziJ1235]

It might feel like a classic 90s animated movie because the story is basically the little mermaid but in space

[@astrologia4968]

FINALLY SOMEONE TALKING ABOUT STARSHIP !!!! it’s my favourite starkid musical and its so underrated, even within starkid’s fanbase

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

can't wait to see a resurgence for it with Cinderella Castle hopefully!

[@lolliputbug]

STARSHIPPPPPPPPP!!!!! Starship is my favourite starkid musical, all of the characters are so good, Junior especially is such an underrated villain, overshadowed understandably by Pincer, the amount of times im trying not to sing his reprise in public. Although February's character is a bit too 'dumb blonde' you can tell Denise is having so much fun it basicaly cancels out. And just all of the rangers are great, With Tootsie and Megagirls romance and Taz and Ups friendship and even if they have a lesser part i really enjoy Crayonder and Specs, wouldnt be the same without them. And the puppetsssssss What i would give to have softtoys of the 3 main bugs (Maybe i should learn how to sew toys). Bug is a just such a brilliant protagonist, its so fun to watch him become a starship ranger for real throughout the show. Its just such a fun musical and its so under appreciated in the fandom, hopefully people go back and watch it with the release of Cinderellas castle (which im so excited for). Any puppet based media is a win in my book :)

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

It's so rare to find a show where every single part of the show is the best part! There's so much love and passion put into this show!

[@kmurphy111]

48:01 Actually, Darren was already filming Glee when this line was said. Shortly after committing to composing Starship, Darren got Glee, and as a result couldn’t work on this show as much as originally planned. Nick Lang and Brian Holden have talked about being happy for him but knowing it would hurt the show, and in the end there were a lot fewer songs than originally promised, and with the songs we got the cast didn’t have them all even moving into tech for the show. Lauren has told a story of the cast rehearsing close to open and Darren surprising them by gleefully entering and singing, thinking they’d be so excited to see him, but everybody was so frustrated about the unfinished songs and missing songs so close to opening that they were deadpan and gave him the cold shoulder. They all laugh about it now- it changed how Starkid plans their shows (making sure it’s written before committing to an opening date) so it was a learning experience. But hey, now you get the full subtext of that line! 😆

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

wow, that is quite the bit of info, originally thought Darren had finished working on the musical before moving on to Glee, that's wild to find out

[@ForeverDegenerate]

@@Undeniably_Idiotic Nope. They began development on Starship, then Darren got cast in GLEE and continued to work on the music. According to the Lang Brothers, Darren was supposed to have written 16 songs for Starship. So he ended up only finishing half of the intended songs. And, yeah, Darren being cast in GLEE and not finishing all the music really did hurt both the production and the company. Like a LOT. You see, Starship was the first musical they did as a full-on production company AND it was the first one they debuted as an off-Broadway production so this was their first foray into having actual critics watch and critique their work. Despite the fact they had sold out shows for every show and they even won an award for Starship, they got critically lambasted by the critics. The two biggest and most popular critiques were that they didn't like the puppets because it made the production too childish (which, in all fairness, fuck the critics) and the fact that the show only had 8 songs and you can't call that a "musical" which, ok they have a point on that one. But yeah, so while Starship was a smash audience success, it was a critical failure and that really hurt Team Starkid. That entire experience caused them to completely restructure how they would produce musicals from that point forward. The next musical they produced after Starship was Holy Musical B@man! And you can see the stark difference in quality between the two. Well their experience with Starship is why. Also, Holy Musical B@man! ran at the same theater they ran Starship the year before so Holy Musical B@man! was, kinda, a redemption for Team Starkid, in more ways than one. So while Team Starkid got the proverbial "bitch slap" from "the industry" for Starship, it is what has caused them to transform from the "Geniuses of Basement Arts" to the "Musical Theater Powerhouse" they are today. They are who and what they are today because they vowed to never allow a "Starship" to happen again. I guess one COULD say that "The Industry" shamed Team Starkid into becoming better than "The Industry." And I mean that literally. Team Starkid has, effectively, birthed a new art form that they have now dubbed: "Accessible Musical Theater." And that term was coined, not by The Lang Brothers or any of the Founders, no. This term was coined by the "industry vets" and "Broadway Stars" that work with them. Mariah Rose Faith (Mean Girls), Curt Mega (GLEE and he's an Acting Coach), Kim Whalen (Curt's wife and LEGIT Opera Singer), and the big one, Will Branner (George McFly/Biff Tannen in "Back To The Future") who was the lead in "Nerdy Prudes Must Die." In one of the "Cinderella's Castle" Livestreams, they all happened to be on at the same time (Will made time to jump on after he finished a show of "Back To The Future" and was done for the evening and they got to talking about the decisions they've made and why they are with Starkid. Like Mariah CHOSE not to return to "Mean Girls" after the Pandemic. She chose, instead, to return to Starkid. Curt and Kim could have had very promising and lucrative careers in "the industry," but chose, instead to remain with Starkid. Why? Because they all believe in what Starkid is doing and why they do it. And, I believe it was Will Branner who threw out the term "Accessible Musical Theater" and everyone immediately went "YES! THAT'S IT EXACTLY!" And that is why they remain Starkid. It also says it all when Will Branner talked about showing Starkid stuff to his fellow actors and crew and people in Broadway and they all, unanimously, fell in love with Starkid and went, "I WANT TO DO THAT!" So yeah, Team Starkid has risen to the level where you have people in Broadway looking at them with awe and admiration and all they can say is, if you'll pardon the meme, "Broadway Could Never..." An essay was not my intent, but uh... well... there you go. The Abridged History of Team Starkid. I hope you enjoyed the read!

[@fredrickmcvalentine7162]

Curt Mega was also working on Glee at the time. He has told stories of Darren calling him into his trailer to workshop Starship songs in-between their rehearsals. These stories were in defense of Darren, showing he was indeed working on the musical during Glee... but yeah, Darren dropped the ball. This show could really use some more songs... 8 songs in a 3 hour runtime is a bit meager...

[@Sillylilgrill]

HELL YES STARSHIP ANALYSIS LETS GOOOO

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

The most unique Starkid show that was really ahead of its time and has flown under the radar for most Starkid fans

[@cryptidrecording]

Starship happens to be my very favorite OG Starkid show. I think I’ve seen it upwards of 20 times in full and man was it always hard to get people to try it. Kick It Up a Notch helps my case a lot but Joey’s so incredible, it has such a great balance of goofs and commitment to a sci-fi concept, and the puppets elevate it incredibly! Cause they rule! And they have such great variety and simple fun. Just adore it and I’m so happy it’s been getting more of its flowers as of late.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Sci-fi is such a difficult genre to pull off on stage but Starkid absolutely nailed it by going cheesy and camp while also keeping it emotionally engaging

[@Wrennityy]

DUDE I AM SO FUCKING OBSESSED WITH STARSHIP I AM SO HAPPY YOU MADE THIS I AM GOING TO EXPLODE AND DIE

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

we here at Undeniably Idiotic are not responsible for any injury caused by watching our videos, spontaneous combustion or otherwise

[@TindraSan]

27:28 gotta compliment the nearly seamless editing during this whole bit, didn't notice a single chop in the piano until I gave it a second listen (and the second time I was looking for it so that hardly counts imo)

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Thank you oh so very much! Quite proud of that edit if I do say so myself!

[@1LilSpark]

The damn that G-L-E-E line hits harder when you know the goings on behind the scenes

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Unfortunately I only got the full picture after uploading, the smirk on Joe Walker's face is very telling also

[@1LilSpark]

@@Undeniably_Idioticit’s like Glee take-ith as we could of had more songs in starship but Glee also give-ith as you wonder if that was how Curt Mega even became part of the TCB/Starkid family

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

@@1LilSpark a worthy trade as Curt Mega is one of my favourite cast members, but you can definitely tell now in retrospect that you can assume the songs that were unfinished are the ones that lack choreography

[@slushiesupremacy]

YES THIS IS GONNA BE FIRE 🔥

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

YES INDEED IT IS! Hope you enjoy!

[@justarandombrit]

Starship video essay? Maybe God isn't dead after all...

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Has this video revived God after science killed Him?

[@lennies_mindful_life]

I love starkids and muppets and starship is my favourite, its got some great songs, great puppets and good story, Starship has its issues, we can always wonder what it would have be become if darren didnt get cast on glee and he would had the time to write the rest of songs but its still great show. I cant wait to see Cinderella Castle

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

It was such a different show for its time, but now that Cinderella Castle is on the way hope it brings more eyes to Starship!

[@elise2920]

exactly the video i was looking for when i opened my subscribed tab 🙂‍↕️

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

exactly what we like to hear! It's a real good one!

[@scifigeek14]

great video. starship is an underrated classic and I'm glad to see it getting some love. just a heads up. sometimes your voice over audio is incredibly quiet, especially in comparison to the show clips. it made it hard to volume equalize, especially when watching on my TV. turn the volume way up to hear you then then get my ears blasted by starkid screaming or by an ad break. but I still really enjoyed the video!! :D thanks for making it!

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

very sorry, audio balancing is a skill I'm still developing and balancing for TV speakers is definitely something I forgot to factor in when editing

[@scifigeek14]

@@Undeniably_Idiotic no stress! Just wanted to give you the heads up! Great vid!

[@cactusbuds2979]

Im so fucking excited for their new show. THEY ARE DOING PUPPETS AGAIN WOOO

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

their puppet work is incredible! can't wait!

[@bjam89]

with how names work on farm planet, will he end up being named mega girl mega girl?

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

aha! I see what you did there...

[@maskyartist2127]

this was my FIRST starkid show i watched and i found it on complete accident. they had me hooked the moment they were using puppets, and then i was just stuck rewatching the whole thing like 3 times cause it was that damn good and itst STILL that damn good! the fact its so overlooked is a shame, and im still holding out that hope one day we'll return to bug planet and see more of the world :( it sounds so interesting genuinely i'd love another musical in the same setting. doesnt gotta be some sequel but at least bring back bug planet!

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

the world building of bug planet is so efficient and thorough that it feels like a living breathing place that any number of stories could take place on, however the ending to Starship is so final and happily ever after it wouldn't feel right to revisit it I feel, however can't wait to see what sort of setting Starkid will create to rival such a richly developed setting apart from Hatchetfield of course, that rabbit hole goes way too deep

[@mannalee3122]

I stopped this video 6 minutes in and watched the entirety of Starship for the first time and it was a delight, so thank you for the push!

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Always a joy to see our videos introduce people to the things we love!

[@Spartacus005]

Starship!!!!! My favorite Starkid show (with Nerdy Prudes)! Pincer is absolutely gorgeous, and Kick It Up A Notch is easily one of my favorite songs in musical theater. Wonderful video!

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Starship and Nerdy Prudes are personal favourites of mine also, the puppetry in Starship was way ahead of its time and can't wait to see what they accomplish with Cinderella Castle!

[@Mahinaishere]

Just came across this channel but I have to comment that the puppet "Review Starkid" was very cute

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Thank you very much! My mother actually got it for me for Christmas, I had to make use of it somehow!

[@elizabethk007]

Love to see new content on my favorite Starkid musical

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Glad to see you enjoying the new content on your favourite Starkid musical!

[@the_pipster]

I LOVE STARSHIP SO MUCH!!!!!! WOO!! junior spaceclaw is my girlfriend

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Junior is iconic, and such a different villain than most!

[@The-Demon-Who-Isnt-There]

Hi Pip, kind of a jump scare to see you here lol

[@Bliffenstimmers]

STARSHIP!!!!!!! It’s been my favorite Starkid show for the longest time, I’m glad someone else sees the wonderful musical as it is.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

it is a timeless classic

[@ShyyGaladriel]

"Personal vendetta against the English" truer words have never been said.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Even the English has one

[@dormousedoll]

YAYYYYYY YAY STARSHIP IS MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE STARKID MUSICAL!!! IT'S SO NEAR AND DEAR TO MY HEART!!!

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

It is such a gem of a show, it's really grown on me recently

[@Starkidfan27]

best starkid musical there is. people can argue with the WALL!

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

You are so correct, all the power to you!

[@lilfruitmilk22]

This show is so severely underrated and everyone should know about it, also kick it up a notch is one of the greatest songs ever made with so much talent in it

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Underrated but an absolute delight to watch, listen to and review for sure

[@lilfruitmilk22]

@@Undeniably_Idiotic I just recently got my best friend into starkid and the next show is definitely starship especially with cinderellas castle Coming so soon

[@Skelewar]

It's a recap video! The analysis starts at 57:00 still, if you want a recap video then it's a good one.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

Like to think of the video as a retrospective, by recapping and making comments on the show as we go then giving an overview analysis at the end

[@leahmoore6820]

My favorite Starkid show along with AVPS.

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

absolute gold gems, considering making a video about the very potter trilogy at some point in the future

[@muchosconfuzzlement8258]

I LOVE STARSHIP‼️

[@shesalilsapphicokay]

It's great to see Kick It Up A Notch get some love. Thank you. 👏 It has such a strong classic villain song feel. It's in my personal top 3 Starkid villain songs and I can see why its one of you favorite Starkid songs period. I don't see people bring up Kick It Up A Notch much -- but it deserves hype!

[@edenkup221]

gonna reference this video in my starship seminar

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

this is the greatest honour of our youtube career!

[@XFallenFreakX]

omg omg omg omg this is my fav parody musical they have ever ever done also the tootsie noodles impress. A1 so ummm.....Im sure you got this before but uh..... Tin Can Bros, huh? Spies are Forever, yeah? wh- wh- what's the deal with that silly lil vid.....in pride month..... am am I rite bois?

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

The Spies are Forever video on our channel may see some people revisiting it for pride month yeah!

[@XFallenFreakX]

@@Undeniably_Idiotic that is the real gay agenda: watching all your videos in one month.

[@tibditty]

i love starkid but ive been waiting for the hatchetfield stuff to finally end, i never expected there to be a series. its unique and there are some real gems of songs in there, but its not something i particularly looked forward to. I saw black friday in person and while it was amazing to see Joey and Dylan and Jeff and Nick and Lauren in person, nothing really stuck with me. i had been hoping for something as life changing as the rest of the starkid/tcb stuff and im so excited to see where Cinderella Castle brings us all

[@Undeniably_Idiotic]

I believe the Hatchetfield stories have quite some ways to go yet but am very happy to see they are branching towards different avenues, returning to a more Starkid approach rather than the safety of the Hatchetfield series

[@tibditty]

definitely! me personally, I have to let go of the old starkid feeling, not sure if that can ever return, but that’s okay. evolution is important and i gotta remind myself of that. but yeah, i have heard talking of a nightmare time 3, i think you (or a commenter???) mentioned it in your nightmare time video, so im sure there’s more to come !!!! thank you 🫡