As we’ve mentioned a few times, this is a great time to be a fan of Star Trek. With the exception of the film situation, there have never been more stories — and different kinds of stories — on TV for fans to enjoy. There’s Discovery, Picard, Lower Decks, and soon Strange New Worlds, Section 31, and Prodigy. If you’d like to get a recap of what’s happening in the world of Star Trek each day, we recommend the podcast Daily Star Trek News, with host Alison Pitt.
Pitt and her show break down the day-to-day headlines from the Star Trek world in an easy to digest, well-produced and highly professional manner. Think of Pitt as someone you might hear on Sirius XM or NPR — she’s that good. Only this professional voice isn’t talking about government budgets. Alison Pitt talks Star Trek.
In her day job, Pitt works in data analysis. But her passion is Trek, and it comes through. Pitt is a huge fan of The Next Generation and William Riker, in particular. The Daily Star Trek News show is available Monday through Fridays, with a live round-up YouTube show on Fridays.
“I didn’t set out wanting to be a podcaster,” says Pitt. “I was recruited by Elio [Lleo], who is the executive producer of the Priority One Podcast, which is another show on the Roddenberry Podcast Network.”
Pitt says that back in 2015, she started playing Star Trek Online, and while she played, she’d listen to Trek podcasts. The shows that she enjoyed were Priority One and Mission Log. Around this time, Lleo was looking for someone to replace him on the Priority One Podcast, and he connected with Pitt on Twitter.
“I knew nothing about podcasting or broadcasting [when I started],” says Pitt. “Priority One is a really high-quality show, and they have had people in the past who were professional sound engineers and producers. By working with that show, I learned how to create things at a high standard.”
While her background is in engineering and data, the training from the folks at the Roddenberry Network have certainly made her show one of the best sounding available. Pitt says that she has a secret weapon.
“I have the advantage of that I really like the sound of my own voice,” says Pitt. “When I was a kid, I used to record myself reading travel brochures.”
Pitt served on Priority One for about four years before starting Daily Star Trek News. She said that it was a niche that wasn’t being filled. She’s been at it for now for just under two years.
Since her show is part of the Rodenberry Podcast Network, she chats with Rod Rodenberry regularly. Pitts says that the various podcasts meet online together monthly, and when the Destination Star Trek is in Vegas, Rodenberry hosts all podcast employees at an all-you-can eat sushi restaurant.
You might imagine, that if your boss was involved in literally every single Star Trek show currently on the air now and in development, you might ask for a few tid bits or scoops about what’s going on. Pitt says that she actually does not want to know any spoilers or secret information.
“I actually avoid that sort of thing,” says Pitt. “Rod has never given me any sort of spoilers.”
“The problem is, when you know a spoiler and you’re broadcasting on a regular basis, it becomes a huge mental burden on remembering what you’re supposed to know and what you’re not supposed to know,” says Pitt.
“I actively avoid spoilers,” she says.
Pitt says that her show has grown tremendously, especially those who have subscribed to the Daily Star Trek News podcast newsletter. She does note that her website traffic has grown in popularity as well, but much of that is due to the randomness of what people happen to be searching for in Google.
Much of the work on the written part of her site is packaging headlines and news that was first reported on from other sources. She says she is creating a product that packages others’ reporting into a show that can be easily digested and listened to. All news on her site that was reported and originated from other sites are clearly credited and linked.
One big change in the past year that Pitt says has made a big difference in her operation is the addition of writer Chris Peterson.
“I have a story that I look for, and [Chris] has a slightly different story that he looks for,” says Pitt of working with Peterson. “Together they work really well.”
Pitt says that she and Peterson work hard to keep their personal opinions out of the stories on both the website and the podcast. She reserves the YouTube show on Fridays to commune with fans and express her thoughts on the shows and issues that surround them.
“Whether it’s a huge rumor that’s setting the internet on fire that I will not touch [on my podcast], or why I saw things the way that I saw them,” says Pitt.
She said that it was on the YouTube show where she discussed the Mary Wiseman (Tilly from Discovery) body shaming issues that came to light.
“There was a lot of internet trolling going on,” says Pitt. “Things like that will go onto the live show. Having a conversation about the realities of being in the media. It covers a lot of stuff, but it’s more of a conversational thing.”
Pitt is excited to keep growing the show, and says that she would like to add a third writer to her staff within the next year. But she realizes that she must stay steady and not jump into too many different projects or partnerships.
“I try to be selective of what other things I take on because, ultimately, I want this to go for a long time.”
