Commentary: Trek Stars 30: A Little Screwball Thingee

Meyer II Part 4: Volunteers. After spending a year creating a nuclear apocalypse, Nicholas Meyer shifted into a completely different gear with his 1985 film Volunteers.  Meyer’s comedy stars Tom Hanks as a rich kid who joins the Peace Corps and flies to Southeast Asia in order to dodge a gambling debt. There, along with Rita Wilson and John Candy, he helps to build a bridge which, unbeknownst to them, is highly coveted by rival outside factions. This week, Max and Mike are joined by John Tenuto to discuss the reasons behind Meyer’s decision to make a comedy, the presence of Meyer trademarks in the film, the movie’s similarities to Star Trek, the work of other Trek collaborators in the movie, and Meyer’s inability to make a meaningless piece of entertainment.