Beyond the Final Frontier - A Star Trek Podcast

Rich Matthews, Ian Spelling, Toby Weidmann
  • 5.0 (1)
  • TV & Film
  • Updated Weekly

'Beyond the Final Frontier' brings together three storied Star Trek veterans for an ongoing mission to celebrate the vast Trek universe. Host Rich Matthews, former senior editor and 20+year contributor to the official Star Trek Magazine and current Trekademic, is joined by his bridge crew: the renowned Ian Spelling, entertainment journalist who has covered Star Trek extensively since the late 1980s for the New York Times, Starlog Magazine, and the official Star Trek Communicator, before editing StarTrek.com for a decade, and Toby Weidmann, former editor of the official Star Trek Magazine, BAFTA comms wizard and launch editor of the official Walking Dead Magazine. Each episode, our trio shocase and discuss favorite episodes, themes, characters – everything Trek! – in depth, sharing insights from their decades of experience covering the franchise. From beloved moments to Trek history and developments in the modern era, plus occasional special guests joining the voyage... Grab your tricorder and prepare to beam aboard as we boldly go Beyond the Final Frontier!

  1. 1d ago

    BFF#47: Enterprise @ 25! Our Top 7 Star Trek ENT eps!

    This week on Beyond the Final Frontier, our intrepid Trek trio celebrate 25 years of Star Trek: Enterprise by counting down their top seven episodes of the NX-01's voyages. Expect fierce debates, a few rule-bending ties and one controversial number one... it would appear not everyone on the bridge is reading from the same star chart. beyondffpod@gmail.com | Instagram @beyondffpod | Facebook /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier Like, rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and pass the pod on to a fellow Trekkie – it genuinely helps us grow. Beyond the Final Frontier is a Star Trek podcast with Rich Matthews, Ian Spelling and Toby Weidman. Join us on Patreon at BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier. Original music by Alex Weidmann, opening monologue by Sissy Jones, artwork by Russell Seal.

  2. 1d ago ·  Bonus

    You Might Enjoy: On Purpose with Jay Shetty

    Introducing MIKAYLA NOGUEIRA EXCLUSIVE: The Story She’s Finally Ready to Tell from On Purpose with Jay Shetty. Follow the show: On Purpose with Jay Shetty Jay sits down with beauty creator Mikayla Nogueira to go beyond the online persona and share the real story behind her rise. Mikayla opens up about the struggles that shaped her before finding success, the viral moment that changed her life overnight, and the painful reality of a marriage impacted by addiction and divorce. She also shares how she found her way forward, reconnected with her high school first love, and launched her own beauty brand with Sephora. With Love and Gratitude, Jay Shetty Built-in protections for teens. JAY'S DAILY WISDOM DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR INBOX Join 900,000+ readers discovering how small daily shifts create big life change with my free newsletter. Subscribe here: https://news.jayshetty.me/subscribe Check out our Apple subscription to unlock bonus content of On Purpose! https://lnk.to/JayShettyPodcast What We Discuss: 00:00 Introduction 00:45 Why Share Your Story Now? 01:31 Beyond The Influencer Persona 02:46 Childhood Memories That Shaped Her 03:45 Bullying & Discovering Makeup At Age 10 05:24 The Insecurities Behind the Confidence 06:48 Expressing Her True Self Online 08:55 The Origin Of Her Passion For Makeup 11:18 Work Ethic And Thinking Big 12:37 Creating Her Very First YouTube Video 13:58 Presenting A 50-Page Business Plan 16:30 Returning To Her Hometown & Donating Makeup 18:00 Getting Hired At Ulta Beauty 23:52 Letting Go of the Future She Planned 28:10 Losing Her Job and Finding a New Path 31:34 The First Viral Video 37:08 Manifesting Success & Building A Content Engine 41:53 Experiencing Her First Cancellation 45:25 Reflecting on Past Controversies 48:56 The Mental Health Toll of Rapid Growth 52:54 The Boston Accent 56:48 Meeting Her Ex-Husband Cody 59:41 Navigating Addiction In A Relationship 01:04:08 Dating An Influencer & Dating An Addict 01:05:56 Marriage Through Addiction and Relapse 01:13:00 A Harrowing Late-Night Emergency 01:18:11 Making the Decision to Divorce 01:33:53 The Path To Divorce 01:40:46 Finally A Fresh Start 01:46:45 Reconnecting With High School First Love, Zach 01:52:21 Building Her Beauty Brand (POV) 01:57:30 Looking Back 01:59:34 Mikayla On Final Five Episode Resources: Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/share/1C43BCLCFi/?mibextid=wwXIfr TikTok | https://www.tiktok.com/@mikaylanogueira Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/mikaylajmakeup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices DISCLAIMER: Please note, this is an independent podcast episode not affiliated with, endorsed by, or produced in conjunction with the host podcast feed or any of its media entities. The views and opinions expressed in this episode are solely those of the creators and guests. For any concerns, please reach out to team@podroll.fm.

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  3. Sep 28

    BFF#46 – Strange New Worlds S4 REVIEW!

    This week on Beyond the Final Frontier our intrepid Trek trio review the second half of season four of Strange New Worlds and give their overall score of the entire fourth outing for Pike and crew - and it would appear hull integrity has been severely tested this time out of spacedock... beyondffpod@gmail.com | Instagram @beyondffpod | Facebook /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier Like, rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and pass the pod on to a fellow Trekkie – it genuinely helps us grow. Beyond the Final Frontier is a Star Trek podcast with Rich Matthews, Ian Spelling and Toby Weidman. Join us on Patreon at BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier. Original music by Alex Weidmann, opening monologue by Sissy Jones, artwork by Russell Seal.

  4. Sep 21

    BFF#45: Top 7 Uniforms in all of Star Trek!

    This week on Beyond the Final Frontier our intrepid Trek trio pull on their fanciests outfits to pick the best of the best of Star Trek Starfleet uniforms. Do you know your skant from your monster maroon? Your jumpsuit from your dress duds? The boys warp through which series and movies have produced their favourite Trek togs across the whole franchise. beyondffpod@gmail.com | Instagram @beyondffpod | Facebook /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier Like, rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and pass the pod on to a fellow Trekkie – it genuinely helps us grow. Beyond the Final Frontier is a Star Trek podcast with Rich Matthews, Ian Spelling and Toby Weidman. Join us on Patreon at BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier. Original music by Alex Weidmann, opening monologue by Sissy Jones, artwork by Russell Seal.

    BFF#45: Top 7 Uniforms in all of Star Trek!

  5. Sep 14

    BFF#44: STLV Report, Fandom & Conventions!

    This week on Beyond the Final Frontier: Toby takes the chair and puts Rich and Ian on the spot about Star Trek fandom, fresh off the 60th anniversary convention in Las Vegas. beyondffpod@gmail.com | Instagram @beyondffpod | Facebook /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier Expect three men who have all professionalised their fandom trying to work out whether they can still just be fans. Does a "true fan" have to love every show, or is one enough? Rich draws the parallel between fandom and religion from his PhD research and admits he's never much liked a congregation, Toby explains the "journalist first, Star Trek fan second" line that got him the editor's job, and Ian goes back to a black and white TV, a salmon shirt, and DeForest Kelley picking him out of a crowd. Along the way: Gates McFadden dancing with a fan who'd paid a thousand dollars for the moment, the Walmart checkout that turned into the best thing that happened to Rich at a con, and a closing question with no comfortable answer: with Academy cancelled and Strange New Worlds winding down, does the franchise boldly go, or bank the nostalgia? Like, rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and pass the pod on to a fellow Trekkie – it genuinely helps us grow. Beyond the Final Frontier is a Star Trek podcast with Rich Matthews, Ian Spelling and Toby Weidman. Join us on Patreon at BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier. Original music by Alex Weidmann, opening monologue by Sissy Jones, artwork by Russell Seal.

    BFF#44: STLV Report, Fandom & Conventions!

  6. Aug 31

    BFF#43: Star Trek is 60! Top 7 TOS quotes EVER ranked!

    This week on Beyond the Final Frontier: Rich, Ian and Toby mark 60 years since the first transmission of Star Trek: The Original Series with their top seven lines from TOS,. beyondffpod@gmail.com | Instagram @beyondffpod | Facebook /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier Expect three lists that overlap far more than any of us expected, starting with McCoy and ending with a choice none of us could argue with. Along the way: why "leave any bigotry in your quarters" reads differently in 2026, the tolerance-versus-acceptance argument it sparks, Spock's warning about serving under computers landing harder now than it did in 1968, and Kirk on humanity as a most promising species... as predators go. Toby makes the case for "The Corbomite Maneuver" as the philosophical heart of the whole franchise and offers a reading of Kirk's final words in Generations that Rich did not see coming. Rich explains how "I'm a doctor, not a bricklayer" earned him a high school detention, and why he (wrongly) talked himself out of the obvious number one. Plus: the synagogue origin of the Vulcan salute, whether Scotty really can't change the laws of physics, and the tangled question of who actually wrote the opening monologue. Like, rate and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, and pass the pod on to a fellow Trekkie – it genuinely helps us grow. Beyond the Final Frontier is a Star Trek podcast with Rich Matthews, Ian Spelling and Toby Weidman. Join us on Patreon at BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier. Original music by Alex Weidmann, opening monologue by Sissy Jones, artwork by Russell Seal.

    BFF#43: Star Trek is 60! Top 7 TOS quotes EVER ranked!

  7. Aug 31

    BFF#42: Top 7 Star Trek Duos!

    This week on Beyond the Final Frontier: Rich, Ian and Toby count down their seven favourite duos from across the whole Trek-verse – and one of them hobbles his own list with self-imposed restrictions before he's even started! Engage(!) with us: Email – beyondffpod@gmail.com | Instagram – @beyondffpod | Facebook – /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier Expect a top seven that Deep Space Nine tries to swallow whole no matter how hard anyone fights it, a debate about the difference between the best duo and your favourite duo, an extended Jeeves and Wooster tangent that sends the American host off for a nap, a serious question about whether Geordie is fully functional, and a number one that one host flatly refuses to narrow down. Plus: THOSE teddy bears with six-inch fangs... Let us know what we got right, what we got wrong, and who made your seven! Don't forget to like, rate, subscribe and share! BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek-universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world. Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

    BFF#42: Top 7 Star Trek Duos!

  8. Aug 24

    BFF#41: REVIEW! Strange New Worlds S4 Eps 1-5!

    This week on Beyond the Final Frontier: Rich, Ian and Toby give their mid-season verdict on Strange New Worlds season four, scoring the first five episodes out of 10 – and one of them divides the hosts more sharply than anything they've reviewed yet! Engage(!) with us: Email – beyondffpod@gmail.com | Instagram – @beyondffpod | Facebook – /BFF: Beyond The Final Frontier Expect a debate about a season that's swinging big on gimmicks but not always on story, a horror episode that splits the room down the middle, an argument over whether the supernatural belongs in Trek at all, some free film-studies lecturing from Rich, and scores that get revised live on air. Plus: THOSE puppets... Let us know what we got right, what we got wrong, and where your scores landed! Don't forget to like, rate, subscribe and share! BEYOND THE FINAL FRONTIER sees three entertainment journalists, who have written about Star Trek for decades, bringing their extensive geek-universe knowledge and longtime camaraderie to the podcast world. Each episode, Rich, Ian and Toby explore a unique topic from across the Trek-verse, discussing everything from their personal Trek favourites to the ongoing cultural impact of the science fiction phenom.

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About

'Beyond the Final Frontier' brings together three storied Star Trek veterans for an ongoing mission to celebrate the vast Trek universe. Host Rich Matthews, former senior editor and 20+year contributor to the official Star Trek Magazine and current Trekademic, is joined by his bridge crew: the renowned Ian Spelling, entertainment journalist who has covered Star Trek extensively since the late 1980s for the New York Times, Starlog Magazine, and the official Star Trek Communicator, before editing StarTrek.com for a decade, and Toby Weidmann, former editor of the official Star Trek Magazine, BAFTA comms wizard and launch editor of the official Walking Dead Magazine. Each episode, our trio shocase and discuss favorite episodes, themes, characters – everything Trek! – in depth, sharing insights from their decades of experience covering the franchise. From beloved moments to Trek history and developments in the modern era, plus occasional special guests joining the voyage... Grab your tricorder and prepare to beam aboard as we boldly go Beyond the Final Frontier!

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