Note To New Listeners

First off, let me say welcome to Star Trek: Excelsior. Whether you're a diehard Trekkie or completely new to the Star Trek universe, you're in for a real treat with Excelsior. If you're not a regular consumer of internet radio or audio podcasting, you might want to take a look at our Listening Guide for some helpful pointers on getting the most out of your audio experience. Otherwise, I know there is one burning question on your mind, that question being:

What episode do I listen to first?

This is a complicated question, and there are several different answers, depending on what you want out of the show. Rule one: do NOT start in the middle of the current season. Unless you are very clever, or it is a very unusual episode, our storyline will not make any sense at all if you jump in in the middle of the stream. Try something else, according to your tastes.

If you want to get a feel for the show and the characters in a single, simple, and fun standalone episode, start with "No One Gets Out Alive", the only true standalone we've produced so far. If you still like the show after that, keep going.

If you want to try out the show's main storyline, don't go all the way back to the start of the show. Listen to the first episode of the current season. We never have cliffhangers between seasons, and we always feature several lengthy recaps within our season premieres so new listeners are able to catch up really quick with The Story So Far. Right now (Fall 2010), we are in Season 3, so the first episode of the current season is "Every Good Captain Has Admiral Issues".

After you've started the current season, catch up on the rest of the current season before going back into the archives. Right now, that means just go over to the Season 3 Episodes page and listen to everything on the page (in sequence, of course). there are two reasons we recommend starting with the current season, even though it is a little disorienting. First, because we want you to be caught up with the show as quickly as possible, so you can enjoy the experience of so many other fans as they anticipate the newest episodes together on Facebook and on our forums. Secondly, because our current season is always going to be our most polished one, and we want to put our "best foot forward" with new listeners. Every year, we learn a ton about the radio production process, and it shows in the quality of our product.

If you've listened to the current season and are still enjoying it, or if you are a true completionist who can't bear to listen to Excelsior out of order, then go back to our first season and grab the first regular episode, "The Valandrian Expedition", and go from there. The first season is hardly our best, but it was a lot of good fun, there was an important story being told, and it established this show and what it became in later years.

Under no circumstances should a new listener go all the way back to our pilot episode, "...There You Are". It was our first venture in audio. It is a good listen, and has a lot of character work in it. It has a relaxed, peaceful atmosphere that the Excelsior has never had since then. It discusses the lives and motivations of many of our characters, and introduces Simon Westlake to the cast. But, on the other hand, it is rough, unpolished, unskilled, overlong, and occasionally unpleasant to listen to. And nothing really happens that you ever need to know for future plot. The pilot is enjoyable, but it can only be enjoyed by someone who's already an Excelsior fan.

I hope that explanation helps, and I hope you enjoy your stay onboard the good ship Excelsior!

Sincerely,
James Heaney
Executive Producer