Wil Wheaton on the Stand By Me moment that got him cast in Star Trek
Wil Wheaton joins Brent Spiner and Jonny Frakes on Dropping Names and starts with the movie everyone knows him for, Stand By Me, then keeps going to the part nobody talks about. He explains how a memo from David Gerrold about the kid from Stand By Me is the reason Wesley Crusher exists at all, and…
Two moments from this episode
Meeting Henry Rollins, hand still shaking
Wil noticed a man at Outloud Studios with the same Black Flag tattoo he has on the back of his neck, and it turned out to be one of his heroes. Rollins simply put out his hand and said "hi, I'm Henry," and Wil unravelled, realising partway through his speech that he had never let go of the handshake.
“So, he goes, hi, I'm Henry. And he puts his hand out. And I go, oh, my God, hi, I'm Will.”
LeVar Burton gives his blessing
Before starting his own story podcast, Wil waited until he and LeVar were sitting in an airport together and worked up the courage to ask whether it would tread on his toes. LeVar put a hand on his arm before the pitch was even finished, and on launch day he called rather than texted.
“I would love for you to do that. And he says, if there is anything I can do, anything I can do to help you, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Names dropped in this episode
58 names come up in this episode, in the order they are mentioned. Tap a timestamp to jump straight to that moment.
Miley Cyrus
3:20American singer, songwriter, and actress Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Raphael Pour-Hashemi · CC BY 2.0
Tina Turner
3:27Singer, songwriter, actress and author Wikipedia ↗
Henry Rollins
6:13Henry Lawrence Garfield , known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken… Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Frank Schwichtenberg · CC BY-SA 3.0
John Scalzi
6:34American science fiction author and former president of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of… Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Joe Peacock · CC BY-SA 4.0
Tim Matheson
10:37American actor and director Wikipedia ↗
Konstantin Stanislavski
10:49Seminal Russian and Soviet theatre practitioner Wikipedia ↗
Mary Todd Lincoln
14:43First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham… Wikipedia ↗
Dick Van Dyke
14:58American actor, comedian, singer, dancer and writer Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 2.0
Marina Sirtis
15:25Counselor Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Super Festivals · CC BY 2.0
Michael Dorn
15:45American actor best known for his role as the Klingon character Worf in the Star Trek franchise… Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Super Festivals · CC BY 2.0
Noël Coward
19:30Sir Noël Peirce Coward was an English playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer, known for his… Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Allan Warren · CC BY-SA 3.0
Keenan Wynn
23:39Francis Xavier Aloysius James Jeremiah Keenan Wynn was an American character actor Wikipedia ↗
Richard Dreyfuss
23:39American actor Wikipedia ↗
Photo: John Manard for Super Festivals/Galaxy Con · CC BY 2.0
Jean Stapleton
23:39American character actress of stage, television, and film Wikipedia ↗
Nancy Allen
23:39Actress in Carrie and 1941 Wikipedia ↗
Michael Landon
29:50Star of Bonanza, Little House on the Prairie and Highway to Heaven Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Alan Light · CC BY 2.0
Rob Reiner
37:37American filmmaker, actor, and political activist Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Montclair Film · CC BY 2.0
Meg Ryan
39:11Margaret Mary Emily Anne Hyra , known professionally as Meg Ryan, is an American actress Wikipedia ↗
Photo: David Shankbone · CC BY 3.0
Billy Crystal
39:43American comedian, actor, and filmmaker Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
David Gerrold
40:44American science fiction screenwriter and novelist Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
Patrick Stewart
41:02Captain Picard on Star Trek: The Next Generation Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
LeVar Burton
41:02Geordi La Forge on Star Trek: The Next Generation and host of Reading Rainbow Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Super Festivals · CC BY 2.0
Tawny Newsome
41:50American actress, musician, comedian, and writer best known for playing Chelsea Leight-Leigh on… Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
George Takei
42:05American actor, author, and activist Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
Lewis Smith
46:48American actor Wikipedia ↗
David Bowie
46:48David Robert Jones , known as David Bowie, was an English singer, songwriter and actor Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Adam Bielawski · CC BY-SA 3.0
Beverly D'Angelo
46:48American actress who starred as Ellen Griswold in the National Lampoon's Vacation films Wikipedia ↗
Photo: The Drama League · CC BY 2.0
Felicia Day
47:52American actress, singer, writer, and web series creator Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Kevin Paul · CC BY 4.0
Bill Prady
51:02American television writer and producer known for co-creating and producing The Big Bang Theory and… Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Kevin Paul · CC BY 4.0
Chuck Lorre
51:02American television producer, writer, director, and composer Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Kevin Paul · CC BY 4.0
Patton Oswalt
53:53American stand-up comedian and actor Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ike Barinholtz
53:53Isaac “Ike” Barinholtz is an American actor and comedian Wikipedia ↗
Photo: greg2600 · CC BY-SA 2.0
Ken Jennings
55:52American game show host and author who has hosted the syndicated quiz show Jeopardy! since 2021 Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Phil Konstantin · CC BY-SA 3.0
Mayim Bialik
56:51American actress and former game show host Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Natasha Lyonne
63:53American actress, executive producer, director and writer Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 3.0
Ernest Cline
67:11American science fiction novelist, slam poet and screenwriter Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Fuzheado · CC BY 4.0
Philip Kerr
69:47Scottish author, best known for his Bernie Gunther series of historical detective thrillers Wikipedia ↗
Photo: PEN American Center · CC BY 2.0
Stella Adler
73:03American actress and acting teacher Wikipedia ↗
Sharlto Copley
77:03Sharlto Copley , is a South African actor Wikipedia ↗
Photo: Quejaytee · CC BY 4.0
Marie Curie
80:36Maria Salomea Skłodowska Curie , better known as Marie Curie, was a Polish and naturalised-French… Wikipedia ↗
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons.
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