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Star Trek’s Women Writers

by JARRAH HODGE

Earlier in September new numbers came out showing women have made teeny, tiny gains in representation behind-the-scenes of TV shows. According to Yahoo! TV:

“In a sign of the incremental growth, women made up 28 percent of creators, producers, directors, writers, editors, and directors of photography working on programs airing on the broadcast networks in 2012-13.”

The positions listed in the quote are what are known as “clout positions” because the people in them are the ones who have the most creative control over what ends up being shown on your TV screen. So when women, people of colour, LGBT people and people with disabilities are left out, that can impact what ends up being beamed into our living rooms.

Star Trek, like most other shows, had behind-the-scenes gender gaps, though they varied by series and season. In TOS, only 22.5% of episodes credit at least one woman writer. That went up to 30.5% during TNG, but back down to a dismal 17% in Deep Space Nine (Season 7 of Deep Space Nine credits zero women writers). 25% of Voyager episodes and 22% of Enterprise episodes credit at least one woman writer. All the other ones were written entirely by men.

That’s not to say that men can’t write great women characters and feminist stories. Certainly in Star Trek they have. But I wanted to take a look back at the women working behind the scenes of the five live-action Star Trek series, starting with the writers. I wanted to celebrate all the women from D.C. Fontana on, who broke barriers and made their mark on the franchise.
It’s hard to narrow down what to highlight.

D.C. Fontana’s The Enterprise Incident and Jean Lisette Aroeste’s Is There In Truth No Beauty? brought us some of the most interesting, complex, empowered women guest characters in the entire Original Series.

Melinda M. Snodgrass’ script for The Measure of a Man was the first TNG script ever accepted on spec and it has stood the test of time, widely recognized as one of the top 10 episodes of TNG.

Message in a Bottle, teleplay by Lisa Klink, strikes an impressive balance between being exciting and humorous, all the while doing the work of character-building for Seven of Nine, Torres and The Doctor.

But there’s so much more.

I created the list below as a resource for other people who want to find Trek episodes that credit women writers. I chose to include women who received credit for writing, teleplay, or story, due to the difficulty making judgments about who had what significant impact over a particular script.

STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES (1966 – 1969)

1X07   Charlie X Teleplay by D.C. Fontana
1X21   Tomorrow is Yesterday Written by D.C. Fontana
1X25   This Side of Paradise Teleplay by D.C. Fontana, Story co-written by D.C. Fontana
2X03   Friday’s Child Written by D.C. Fontana
2X15   Journey to Babel Written by D.C. Fontana
2X17   The Gamesters of Triskelion Written by Margaret Armen
2X21   By Any Other Name Teleplay co-written by D.C. Fontana
2X24   The Ultimate Computer Teleplay by D.C. Fontana
3X03   The Paradise Syndrome Written by Margaret Armen
3X04   The Enterprise Incident Written by D.C. Fontana
3X07   Is There in Truth No Beauty? Written by Jean Lisette Aroeste
3X08   The Empath Written by Joyce Muskat
3X09   The Tholian Web Co-written by Judy Burns
3X14   That Which Survives Story by Michael Richards (pseudonym for D.C. Fontana)
3X19   The Cloud Minders Teleplay by Margaret Armen
3X20   The Way to Eden Story co-written by Michael Richards (pseudonym for D.C. Fontana)
3X23   All Our Yesterdays Written by Jean Lisette Aroeste
3X18   The Lights of Zetar Co-written by Shari Lewis

 

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION (1987 – 1994)

1X01 Encounter at Farpoint Co-written by D.C. Fontana
1X03 The Naked Now Co-written by J. Michael Bingham (pseudonym for D.C. Fontana)
1X04 Code of Honor Written by Katharyn Powers
1X05   Where No One Has Gone Before Co-written by Diane Duane
1X07 Lonely Among Us Teleplay by D.C. Fontana
1X16 Too Short a Season Teleplay co-written by D.C. Fontana
1X17 When the Bough Breaks Written by Hannah Louise Shearer
1X20 Heart of Glory Story co-written by D.C. Fontana
1X23 Skin of Evil Teleplay co-written by Hannah Louise Shearer
1X24 We’ll Always Have Paris Co-written by Deborah Dean Davis and Hannah Louise Shearer
1X26 The Neutral Zone Story co-written by Debroah McIntyre and Mona Clee
2X05 Loud as a Whisper Written by Jacqueline Zambrano
2X08 A Matter of Honor Story co-written by Wanda M. Haight
2X09 The Measure of a Man Written by Melinda M. Snodgrass
2X11 Contagion Co-written by Beth Woods
2X15 Pen Pals Teleplay by Melinda M. Snodgrass, Story by Hannah Louise Shearer
2X18 Up the Long Ladder Written by Melinda M. Snodgrass
3X02 The Ensigns of Command Written by Melinda M. Snodgrass
3X08 The Price Written by Hannah Louise Shearer
3X11 The Hunted Written by Robin Bernheim (pseudonym for Robin Burger)
3X12 The High Ground Written by Melinda M. Snodgrass
3X20 Tin Man Co-written by Dennis Putman Bailey (combined credit to Lisa Putman White and Dennis Russell Bailey)
3X21 Hollow Pursuits Written by Sally Caves
3X22 The Most Toys Written by Shari Goodhartz
3X24 Ménage a Troi Co-written by Susan Sackett
4X04 Suddenly Human Co-written by Jeri Taylor
4X07 Reunion Teleplay and story co-written by Jo Perry
4X08 The Loss Story by Hilary J. Bader, Teleplay co-written by Hilary J. Bader and Vanessa Greene
4X10 The Wounded Teleplay by Jeri Taylor, Story co-written by Sara Charno
4X12 Final Mission Teleplay co-written by Jeri Taylor and Kacey Arnold-Ince, Story by Kacey Arnold-Ince
4X17 Night Terrors Teleplay by Pamela Douglas and Jeri Taylor, Story by Shari Goodhartz
4X20 Qpid Story co-written by Randee Russell
4X21 The Drumhead Written by Jeri Taylor
5X04 Silicon Avatar Teleplay by Jeri Taylor
5X06 The Game Story co-written by Susan Sackett
5X07 Unification I Teleplay by Jeri Taylor
5X10 New Ground Story co-written by Sara Charno
5X12 Violations Teleplay by Pamela Gray and Jeri Taylor, Story co-written by Shari Goodhartz and Pamela Gray
5X16 Ethics Story co-written by Sara Charno
5X17 The Outcast Written by Jeri Taylor
5X22 Imaginary Friend Teleplay co-written by Edithe Swensen, Story co-written by Jean Louise Matthias
6X01 Time’s Arrow II Teleplay by Jeri Taylor
6X05 Schisms Story co-written by Jean Louise Matthias
6X07 Rascals Teleplay by Allison Hock, Story co-written by Diana Dru Botsford
6X13 Aquiel Story by Jeri Taylor
6X19 Lessons Co-written by Jean Louise Matthias
6X26 Descent Story by Jeri Taylor
7X02 Liaisons Teleplay by Jeanne Carrigan Fauci and Lisa Rich
7X07 Dark Page Written by Hilary J. Bader
7X14 Sub Rosa Story by Jeri Taylor, based on material by Jeanna F. Gallo
7X15 Lower Decks Story by Jean Louise Matthias

 

STAR TREK: DEEP SPACE NINE (1993 – 1999)

1X03 Past Prologue Written by Katharyn Powers
1X05 Babel Story co-written by Sally Caves
1X06 Captive Pursuit Teleplay co-written by Jill Sherman Donner, Story by Jill Sherman Donner
1X07 Q-Less Story by Hannah Louise Shearer
1X08 Dax Teleplay co-written by D.C. Fontana
1X10 Move Along Home Teleplay co-written by Lisa Rich and Jeanne Carriagn-Fauci
1X13 Battle Lines Story by Hilary J. Bader
1X16   If Wishes Were Horses Teleplay co-written by Nell McCue Crawford, story co-written by Nell McCue Crawford
1X19 Duet Story co-written by Lisa Rich and Jeanne Carrigan-Fauci
2X01 The Homecoming Story co-written by Jeri Taylor
2X07 Rules of Acquisition Story by Hilary Bader
2X10 Sanctuary Story co-written by Kelley Miles
2X18 Profit and Loss Co-written by Cindy Marcus
2X20 The Maquis I Story co-written by Jeri Taylor
2X21 The Maquis II Story co-written by Jeri Taylor
3X08 Meridian Story co-written by Hilary J. Bader
3X20 Explorers Story by Hilary J. Bader
4X04 Hippocratic Oath Teleplay by Lisa Klink, Story co-written by Lisa Klink
4X05 Indiscretion Story co-written by Toni Marberry
4X08 Little Green Men Story co-written by Toni Marberry
4X16 Bar Association Story co-written by Barbara J. and Jenifer A. Lee
4X17 Accession Written by Jane Espenson
4X19 Hard Time Story co-written by Lynn Barker
4X21 The Muse Story co-written by Majel Barrett Roddenberry
5X02 The Ship Story co-written by Pam Wigginton
5X10 Rapture Story by L.J. Strom* (gender unconfirmed)
5X19 Ties of Blood and Water Story co-written by Robbin L. Slocum
5X25 In the Cards Story co-written by Truly Barr Clark
6X09 Statistical Probabilities Story by Pam Pietroforte
6X21 The Reckoning Story co-written by Gabrielle G. Stanton
6X25 The Sound of Her Voice Story by Pam Pietroforte

 

STAR TREK: VOYAGER (1995 – 2001)

1X01 Caretaker Teleplay and story co-written by Jeri Taylor
1X05 Phage Teleplay co-written by Skye Dent
1X07 Eye of the Needle Teleplay co-written by Jeri Taylor, Story by Hilary J. Bader
1X15 Jetrel Teleplay co-written by Karen Klein
1X16 Learning Curve Co-written by Jean Louise Matthias
2X01 The 37’s Co-written by Jeri Taylor
2X04 Elogium Teleplay co-written by Jeri Taylor
2X08 Persistence of Vision Written by Jeri Taylor
2X12 Resistance Teleplay by Lisa Klink
2X14 Alliances Written by Jeri Taylor
2X20 Investigations Teleplay by Jeri Taylor
2X22 Innocence Teleplay by Lisa Klink
2X25 Resolutions Written by Jeri Taylor
3×06 Remember Teleplay by Lisa Klink
3X08 Sacred Ground Teleplay by Lisa Klink, Story by Geo Cameron
3X11 Warlord Teleplay by Lisa Klink
3X13 Fair Trade Story co-written by Jean Louise Matthias
3X15 Coda Written by Jeri Taylor
3X16 Blood Fever Written by Lisa Klink
3X20 Favorite Son Written by Lisa Klink
3X22 Real Life Teleplay by Jeri Taylor
3X24 Displaced Written by Lisa Klink
4X03 Day of Honor Written by Jeri Taylor
4X05 Revulsion Written by Lisa Klink
4X07 Scientific Method Teleplay by Lisa Klink
4X14 Message in a Bottle Teleplay by Lisa Klink
4X15 Hunters Written by Jeri Taylor
4X17 Retrospect Teleplay co-written by Lisa Klink
4X21 The Omega Directive Teleplay by Lisa Klink
4X25 One Written by Jeri Taylor
5X08 Nothing Human Written by Jeri Taylor
5X11 Latent Image Story co-written by Eileen Connors
6X05 Alice Story by Juliann deLayne
6X08 One Small Step Teleplay and story co-written by Jessica Scott
6X11 Fair Haven Written by Robin Burger
6X14 Memorial Teleplay by Robin Burger
6X20 Good Shepherd Teleplay co-written by Dianna Gitto, Story by Dianna Gitto
6X21 Live Fast and Prosper Written by Robin Burger
7X07 Body and Soul Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong
7X14 Prophecy Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong
7X20 Author, Author Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong
7X24 Renaissance Man Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong

 

STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE (2001 – 2005)

1X04 Strange New World Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong
1X06 Terra Nova Teleplay by Antoinette Stella
1X08 Breaking the Ice Co-written by Maria Jacquemetton
1X09 Civilization Co-written by Phyllis Strong
1X13 Dear Doctor Co-written by Maria Jacquemetton
1X15 Shadows of P’Jem Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong
1X17 Fusion Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong
1X19 Acquisition Teleplay co-written by Maria Jacquemetton
1X21 Detained Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong
2X04 Dead Stop Co-written by Phyllis Strong
2X12 The Catwalk Co-written by Phyllis Strong
2X16 Future Tense Co-written by Phyllis Strong
2X23 Regeneration Co-written by Phyllis Strong
2X25 Bounty Teleplay co-written by Phyllis Strong
3X06 Exile Written by Phyllis Strong
3X19 Damage Written by Phyllis Strong
4X07 The Forge Co-written by Judith Reeves-Stevens
4X11 Observer Effect Co-written by Judith Reeves-Stevens
4X13 United Co-written by Judith Reeves-Stevens
4X16 Divergence Co-written by Judith Reeves-Stevens
4X21 Terra Prime Teleplay and story co-written by Judith Reeves-Stevens

 

Jarrah Hodge
Jarrah Hodge is the founder and editor of the Gender Focus blog which looks at politics, pop culture, and current events from an anti-racist feminist perspective. Gender Focus aims to showcase news and opinion relating to issues of social inequality, stereotyping and representations of marginalized groups in society, and the intersections between gender and public policy. In 2011 and 2012 Gender Focus was named the “Best Feminist Blog” in the juried Canadian Weblog Awards. Jarrah has B.A. in Women’s Studies and Sociology from UBC, and has written for the Huffington Post, Bitch Magazine Blogs, the Vancouver Observer and About-Face.

On Jarrah’s secondary blog, Trekkie Feminist, she does in-depth analysis of Star Trek and feminism. Jarrah is a featured panelist at conventions discussing feminism relating to Star Trek and sci-fi. Follow Jarrah on Twitter.

Happy Treksgiving

“On Earth today, it’s Thanksgiving. If the crew has to eat synthetic meat loaf, I want it to look like turkey” – Captain James T. Kirk, Star Trek “Charlie X”

Trek Radio would like to wish everyone a Happy Treksgiving! We are thankful for Gene Roddenberry and his optimistic vision of the future; the casts and crews who brought his vision to life on television and film; and the legion of fans and followers who still want to see the vision become reality.

We are very thankful for all of our listeners, supporters, friends and family who journey with us through space and time on this small blue jewel in the cosmos. Stay safe out there!

Live Long and Prosper!

Happy Treksgiving!

CHARIOT Launches

Anthony Montgomery in Chariot

The latest project by Anthony Montgomery (“Travis Mayweather,” Star Trek: Enterprise) has launched and is available now on DVD.

After a successful Indiegogo campaign in 2012, CHARIOT has taken to the skies. Anthony Montgomery stars in and co-produced this original, independent feature film by producer/director Brad Osborne and writer/producer Eric Vale.

In the film, seven strangers wake aboard a passenger jet in mid-flight and find themselves unwitting participants in a government evacuation program. As a seemingly devastating attack unfolds on the U.S. homeland, the passengers learn they have been chosen to be saved because of their unique skills and/or political connections. But from the beginning, the plan appears to be ill-conceived and for those aboard things quickly go from bad to worse.

Unfolding in real-time, the audience is never allowed to see anything the characters can’t see. Chariot boasts a number of surprising revelations and plot twists designed to keep audiences guessing to the end.

Watch the film’s trailer is below, and go to www.ChariotMovie.com for more information.

Chariot is available exclusively in Wal-Mart stores beginning November 19th, and is set to be released on VOD and Redbox before the end of the year.

Stay up to date with Anthony Montgomery via social media at Facebook.com/MrAMontgomery and Twitter.com/MrAMontgomery. Also, be sure to pick up a copy of his original graphic novel, Miles Away.

STO Season 8: The Sphere

Cryptic Studios has launched the latest update to Star Trek Online with Season 8: The Sphere!

We’d like to congratulate our friends at Cryptic on another great addition to the game. Trek Radio is celebrating Season 8 all month long with on-air interviews and in-game activities. Join us in STO for mission play-throughs, social events, contests for in-game items; and be sure to tune in to our audio stream for up-coming interviews with STO’s “Captain Geko” Al Rivera and developers who worked on the new content of Season 8.

This post will be updated with additional information in the coming days.

Sunday, November 17 – Log on STO and tune in to The Singularity as DJ Suzanna and the Darkwing Fleet host a dance party featuring contests to win cool in-game items. The Singularity airs at 1pm PT, 4pm ET, 9pm GMT.

Keep checking back for more details on upcoming activities and interviews!

L’histoire des établissements de jeux français par Casinara

L’histoire des établissements de jeux en France représente un fascinant voyage à travers les siècles, reflétant les évolutions sociales, économiques et culturelles du pays. Depuis les premières maisons de jeux aristocratiques jusqu’aux complexes modernes de divertissement, ces lieux ont constamment oscillé entre interdiction et réglementation stricte. Cette trajectoire historique révèle comment la France a tenté de concilier les plaisirs du jeu avec les préoccupations morales et fiscales, créant ainsi un modèle unique en Europe qui continue d’influencer le secteur aujourd’hui.

Les origines aristocratiques et l’émergence des premiers établissements

Les premières traces d’établissements de jeux organisés en France remontent au XVIIe siècle, lorsque les salons aristocratiques parisiens accueillaient des parties de cartes et de dés. Le cardinal Mazarin lui-même favorisait ces divertissements, y voyant une source de revenus pour les caisses royales. En 1667, Louis XIV autorisa officiellement l’ouverture de maisons de jeux, principalement fréquentées par la noblesse et la haute bourgeoisie. Ces établissements, situés dans le quartier du Palais-Royal, proposaient des jeux comme le pharaon, le lansquenet et la bassette.

Cependant, dès 1717, le Régent Philippe d’Orléans ordonna la fermeture de tous ces établissements face aux scandales financiers et aux ruines familiales qu’ils provoquaient. Cette interdiction marqua le début d’une longue période d’alternance entre tolérance et prohibition. Malgré les interdictions officielles, des clubs privés continuèrent à fonctionner clandestinement dans la capitale, témoignant de l’attrait persistant pour les jeux d’argent dans la société française. Les autorités oscillaient constamment entre la volonté de contrôler ces pratiques et celle de les éradiquer complètement.

L’ère thermale et la naissance des casinos modernes

Le XIXe siècle marqua un tournant décisif avec l’émergence des stations thermales comme centres de jeux légaux. En 1804, Napoléon Bonaparte autorisa l’ouverture de maisons de jeux dans les villes d’eaux, reconnaissant leur potentiel économique pour ces communes touristiques. Cette décision stratégique transforma des villes comme Vichy, Aix-les-Bains, Évian et Biarritz en destinations prisées de l’élite européenne. Ces établissements, appelés “cercles” ou “casinos”, combinaient salles de jeux, salles de spectacle et restaurants, créant ainsi le concept moderne du casino comme lieu de divertissement global.

La Belle Époque représenta l’âge d’or de ces établissements thermaux. Le casino de Monte-Carlo, bien que situé à Monaco, exerça une influence considérable sur le développement des casinos français. L’architecture somptueuse, les jardins élégants et les programmes culturels sophistiqués devinrent la norme. Des plateformes d’information spécialisées comme Casinara permettent aujourd’hui de retracer cette évolution historique et de comprendre comment ces établissements ont façonné le paysage du jeu français. La réglementation de 1907 consolida ce modèle en définissant précisément les conditions d’exploitation des casinos, notamment leur obligation d’être situés dans des stations balnéaires, thermales ou climatiques.

Cette période vit également l’introduction de jeux emblématiques comme la roulette française, qui devint rapidement le symbole du raffinement des casinos hexagonaux. Les établissements développèrent une expertise unique dans l’accueil de la clientèle fortunée, établissant des standards de service qui perdurent encore aujourd’hui. Les directeurs de casinos devinrent des figures respectées, souvent issus de familles qui transmettaient leur savoir-faire de génération en génération.

Réglementation moderne et transformation du secteur

L’après-guerre marqua une nouvelle phase de développement avec la démocratisation progressive de l’accès aux casinos. La loi de 1988 autorisa l’installation de machines à sous, révolutionnant le modèle économique des établissements français. Cette innovation technologique permit d’attirer une clientèle plus large et moins fortunée, transformant progressivement l’image élitiste des casinos. Le nombre d’établissements augmenta considérablement, passant d’une centaine dans les années 1970 à près de deux cents aujourd’hui.

La création de grands groupes comme Partouche, Barrière et Tranchant modifia profondément la structure du secteur. Ces entreprises introduisirent des méthodes de gestion modernes, des programmes de fidélisation sophistiqués et des investissements importants dans la restauration et l’hôtellerie. Les casinos français évoluèrent vers des complexes de loisirs intégrés, proposant spectacles, concerts, gastronomie et hébergement de luxe. Cette diversification permit de compenser la concurrence croissante des jeux en ligne et des établissements étrangers.

Le cadre réglementaire français demeure l’un des plus stricts d’Europe. Le ministère de l’Intérieur contrôle étroitement les autorisations d’exploitation, tandis que l’Autorité nationale des jeux supervise les aspects techniques et la lutte contre l’addiction. Les communes perçoivent des prélèvements substantiels sur le produit brut des jeux, faisant des casinos des contributeurs économiques majeurs pour les collectivités locales. Cette fiscalité spécifique génère plusieurs centaines de millions d’euros annuellement pour les finances publiques.

Défis contemporains et perspectives d’avenir

Le XXIe siècle confronte les établissements français à des défis inédits. L’ouverture du marché des jeux en ligne en 2010 créa une concurrence directe, obligeant les casinos terrestres à repenser leur proposition de valeur. La crise sanitaire de 2020-2021 accéléra cette transformation, avec des fermetures prolongées qui fragilisèrent de nombreux établissements. Les opérateurs investissent désormais massivement dans l’expérience client, privilégiant l’aspect social et événementiel que le digital ne peut reproduire.

L’innovation technologique s’impose progressivement dans les salles de jeux françaises. Les tables électroniques, les systèmes de gestion informatisés et les applications mobiles enrichissent l’expérience tout en maintenant les exigences réglementaires strictes. Certains établissements expérimentent la réalité virtuelle et les tournois d’e-sport pour attirer une clientèle plus jeune. Cette modernisation s’accompagne d’une attention accrue aux enjeux de jeu responsable, avec des formations obligatoires du personnel et des dispositifs d’auto-exclusion renforcés.

L’avenir des casinos français dépendra de leur capacité à préserver leur identité tout en s’adaptant aux nouvelles attentes. Le modèle du casino comme destination touristique et culturelle, hérité du XIXe siècle, conserve sa pertinence à condition d’intégrer les innovations contemporaines. Les établissements qui réussiront seront ceux qui sauront combiner tradition et modernité, excellence du service et responsabilité sociale, dans un environnement réglementaire qui continuera d’évoluer pour répondre aux défis du secteur.

L’histoire des établissements de jeux français illustre la capacité d’adaptation d’un secteur confronté à des transformations sociétales majeures. De l’aristocratie du Grand Siècle aux complexes de loisirs contemporains, ces lieux ont su traverser les époques en réinventant constamment leur offre. Aujourd’hui, les casinos français représentent un patrimoine culturel et économique significatif, employant des milliers de personnes et contribuant au rayonnement touristique des territoires. Leur évolution future dépendra de l’équilibre subtil entre innovation, régulation et préservation d’un art de vivre qui demeure une spécificité française appréciée dans le monde entier.

Scheduled Downtime (Updated)

UPDATE: Level One diagnostic complete. The Trek Radio systems are online and operating within established parameters.

The Engineers here at Trek Radio will be taking down the Media Server on Sunday, November 17th  at 0300 EST for scheduled maintenance.

Questions? Email them to: IT@trekradio.net

 

The Following will be down during the maintenance:

  • The Trek Radio Stream
  • Teamspeak
  • Holonetradio.com
  • Holonet Radio Stream
  • Holonet Radio Forums
  • The Now Playing on Trek Radio.net
  • Surayamedia.com

The Media Server will be down for approximately 30 minutes. If you have any questions about this scheduled downtime please contact the Trek Radio IT Department via email: it@trekradio.net
This post will be updated when more information is available. Check back here for more details.

Daylight Saving Time Ends

Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise, goes the popular wisdom. If you believe that, then this is your weekend when clocks change as the majority of the U.S. and Canada falls back an hour. Residents of Hawaii, most of Arizona and some U.S. territories don’t have to change their clocks because they never moved them forward in the spring. Those areas do not observe Daylight Saving Time so the shift back to standard never takes place. Most of Europe and Asia shifted their clocks last weekend.

The change, officially the end of Daylight Saving Time, comes at 2 a.m. Sunday, when the clocks fall back to 1 a.m. In theory this should give everyone an extra hour of sleep, though how many hours people sleep is often the result of factors other than the clock. The changeover also takes place on the weekend, so what is a rest day can be used in part to offset the chronological changes that for some are akin to jet lag or traveling across a time zone.

Daylight Saving Time is essentially a creature of the Industrial Revolution and dates from about the turn of the 20th century. Industrial societies are based on time, work shifts, transportation schedules and so on. Agricultural societies are based on daylight, hence the phrase early to bed, early to rise. As societies became more industrial and urban, officials sought to help organize the hours of daylight.

Springing ahead in the spring and summer months allows more time to enjoy outdoor activities. Lights need not be use so energy can be saved, goes at least part of the argument. Tourism gets a boost as well.
By falling back in the autumn months, children get more daylight to travel to school in the morning and parents get to breathe easier in the evening when it is darker.

Still, questions linger about the value of moving the clocks at all and the issue has been frequently debated.

(Source: LA Times)

Podcast Awards 2013 Voting

Voting for the 9th Annual Podcast Awards is now open and this year we encourage everyone to vote for two very special podcasts.

In October, podcasters and their listeners were able to suggest their favorite podcasts for nomination. After calculating the nomination entries and determining if the podcasts met the qualifications, two of our favorite podcasts were officially nominated for the 2013 Podcast Awards: Mission Log and Priority One! Mission Log is nominated in the Entertainment category, and Priority One is nominated in Gaming and Best Produced categories. Of all the podcasts nominated, these two are the only podcasts representing Star Trek.

Priority One - Mission Log

The voting phase is now open from November 1 to 15. Voting is quick and easy. Just go to podcastawards.com, select your favorite podcasts in each category, enter your name and a valid email address then click Submit. You can vote once a day during the voting period so be sure to vote for these two great podcasts everyday until the November 15 deadline.

We also encourage our listeners to vote for Stolendroids Podcast in the Technology category.

Priority One is live on Trek Radio every Thursday at 7pm Pacific, 10pm Eastern. The Stolendroids podcast is syndicated on Trek Radio every Monday at 9am Pacific, 12pm Eastern; and the Mission Log podcast is syndicated Tuesdays at 9am Pacific, 12pm Eastern.

Be sure to listen to these great podcasts and vote everyday to help them bring home an award!

Follow the Podcast Awards on Twitter and support these podcasts using the hashtag #PCA13.

Founded in 2004 by podcaster and new media expert Todd Cochrane, the Podcast Awards recognize the best podcasts in the world by allowing listeners and podcasters to nominate and then vote for their favorite podcasts. The winners will be announced during the New Media Expo in Las Vegas.