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What's Next For The 7th Rule?

VTC staff • October 17, 2022

The popular Star Trek videocast and podcast is finishing the final season of Deep Space Nine and fans are speculating about what's next. 

With just a handful of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episodes left to review, The Show That Jake and Nog Built is left with an existential decision -- what's next? There have been no shortage of guesses and suggestions from the fanbase, but The 7th Rule team has never said -- or even insinuated -- that there will be anything next.


How it Started



In January of 2019, Deep Space Nine's Aron Eisenberg ("Nog") assembled The 7th Rule -- named after the 7th rule of acquisition, "Keep your ears open." After sixteen episodes of Discovery and Orville coverage, as well as a few guest interviews, Aron, his DS9 castmate and friend, Cirroc Lofton ("Jake Sisko"), and producer, Ryan T. Husk, began their epic journey into Deep Space Nine episode reviews in May of 2019.

With the shocking and tragic passing of the much-loved Aron Eisenberg on September 21st, 2019, the Star Trek world was shocked and the The 7th Rule went on an indefinite hiatus. The show had just completed the entire first season of DS9 episodes and was scheduled to begin Season Two the next day.





Continuing On



After several weeks of mourning, Cirroc and Ryan decided -- with Aron's widow, Malissa Longo's blessing -- to continue the show as a way to honor their brother Aron's vision and Deep Space Nine itself.


On November 3rd, recording began anew. Cirroc and Ryan recorded their review of the first episode of DS9's second season, with DS9 show runner, Ira Steven Behr, joining in the final segment.


Since then, The 7th Rule boys have not looked back, releasing a Deep Space Nine episode review every week. Malissa joins every episode in which Nog appeared on DS9, as well as the show's final segment, "The Free For All," and the podcast's fanbase continues to grow daily. They've had dozens of special guests from DS9 join their episodes. The crew also began their #CNF video series (Captain Nog Forever) in which a special guest joins them to talk Star Trek, Deep Space Nine, and especially, Aron Eisenberg.


In January of 2020, the show expanded and began a second podcast, The 7th Rule 2, which covers every episode of all the new Star Trek series that are currently being released on Paramount Plus. Their reviews are premiered every Thursday at 6pm Pacific Time / 9pm Eastern Time, the day that each new Star Trek episode drops.


They also co-created and co-hosted the first and biggest virtual science fiction convention ever, Virtual Trek Con, in July of 2020. Since then, VTC has had two more flagship virtual conventions (with VTC4 set for February of 2023) and several smaller events.



Where They Are Now




Years later, with nearly 200 T7R episodes, 100 T7R2 episodes, and countless special guests on both shows, the show's popularity has exploded and T7R only has five Deep Space Nine episode reviews left to record.


They have stopped their #CNF series at 47 -- a special number in the Star Trek lore, as well as the number of DS9 episodes in which Aron appeared as "Nog."


The 7th Rule has also remastered and relaunched their two audio podcasts, The 7th Rule and The 7th Rule 2, with the help of audio engineer, Scott "Gul DuScott" Jensen.


Cirroc and Ryan were invited to do a live episode panel on this year's Star Trek: The Cruise in February and were joined by Malissa for a panel at Creation Entertainment's 56-Year Mission Convention this past August.





So... What's Next?




Although the team at The 7th Rule has been tight-lipped about what's to come once they've fully closed the book on the epic Star Trek series, Deep Space Nine, there have been several guesses and suggestions from fans everywhere -- from The 7th Rule group, to Twitter, to live recordings and interviews.


Some of the guesses and suggestions include all of the legacy series -- from TOS to ENT -- Battlestar Galactica, Babylon 5, and even going back and doing deep dives on all the new Paramount Plus series (T7R never did Discovery Season One, as the podcast began after that season aired). Others still have said they'd enjoy seeing Cirroc and Ryan going right back to DS9's pilot and starting over.


Cirroc and Ryan may just be happy to discontinue the original T7R podcast and focus solely on all the new content Paramount Plus is releasing with their newer The 7th Rule 2 podcast.


Whatever decision they make, you can bet we'll know what it is within a few weeks...

RED ALERT! Denise Crosby Joins Cirroc Lofton's Star Trek Show to Review The Next Generation

By VTC Staff • November 4, 2022
On Wednesday, Cirroc Lofton's Star Trek show, The 7th Rule, announced that they are uniting with Denise Crosby to review every episode in which Crosby's character "Tasha Yar" appeared. In a video from The 7th Rule's YouTube channel , Crosby states that she has never before gone though and watched her Next Generation episodes which ran from 1987 to 1988, until she came back in a few episodes of subsequent seasons. 35 years later, this will be her first full TNG viewing experience. The 7th Rule is a bi-weekly video podcast in which Lofton, producer Ryan T. Husk, and dozens of Star Trek cast and crew review and discuss Star Trek episodes, one by one. The show was created by the late Aron Eisenberg, Cirroc's consistent DS9 scene partner when they were known as "Jake Sisko" and "Nog."

The 7th Rule Boldly Goes Into DS9's Season 7 TODAY!

By VTC team • July 11, 2022
Cirroc Lofton (Deep Space Nine's "Jake Sisko"), Ryan T. Husk, Malissa Longo, and their many Star Trek guests revisit and discuss DS9 episode every week on The 7th Rule. Today marks the public premiere of their first episode of Season Seven, in which they review episode one, "Image in the Sand." This is the perfect time to join their DS9 journey, as this final season promises to have the most guests - producer, actors, writers, and professionals of all types. The live premiere is today at 6pm PT / 9pm ET. Watch it and join their live chat by clicking the button below.

Keep Your Ears Open

By Malissa Longo • June 20, 2022
Tuesday, May 31st, 2022 saw the launch of the newly remastered episodes of The 7th Rule - A Star Trek Podcast. This brainchild of the late Aron Eisenberg brought Deep Space Nine characters, Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) and Nog (Aron Eisenberg), back together again - with the intent to revisit the series from the perspective of the two Star Trek alumni. The 7th Rule, produced and hosted by Ryan T Husk, has been a labor of love from its inception. Lofton and Husk took on the daunting task of maintaining and expanding the show since the untimely passing of Aron in September of 2019.

DS9's "Sloan" Actor on New Section 31 Series: "If They Call Me, I'll Come Back."

By VTC staff • April 5, 2022
On Monday night's episode of The 7th Rule podcast , actor William Sadler suddenly popped into the live chat while Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk were reviewing Deep Space Nine's sixth season episode, "Inquisition." Star Trek fans will recall this is the episode in which "Sloan" -- played by Sadler -- eventually reveals to Julian Bashir (and the audience) the existence of a secret group known as Section 31 and tries to recruit the good doctor into it. Mr. Sadler joined the live chat (the discussion bar on the right of the YouTube screen that allows viewers to have a live chat while the video is premiering) about midway into the review and was very quickly noticed by the fans. Mr. Sadler was very friendly and engaging with everyone. The viewers asked him various questions, including whether he'd be willing to reprise his role in the new Star Trek: Section 31 series being developed for Paramount+. His response is below.

Virtual Trek Con 3 to Feature First Ever STAR TREK AWARDS SHOW -- You Vote on the Winners!

By VTC staff • January 26, 2022
LOS ANGELES, January 26, 2022- The team behind the first and biggest virtual science fiction convention are launching the first annual “ LLAPy Awards,” a live awards show to celebrate Star Trek. It will feature dozens of categories from a mixture of old and new, TV and movies. The live show will air on Sunday, March 20th, 2022, on the Virtual Trek Con YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/virtualtrekcon Nominees will be selected by fan voting in Facebook and Twitter polls, from January 26th to January 30th. The top vote-getters will be announced as finalists in Virtual Trek Con’s live show, “The Main Viewer,” Tuesday, February 1st, at 5pm PT / 8pm ET at this video link: https://youtu.be/uVb8wPYb-5o ***Most importantly, the show and convention will air from the Virtual Trek Con YouTube channel. Subscribe for FREE to the channel to watch it all by clicking HERE Polls will be posted in various groups and pages, but ALL will be shared to (and can be found in) the new VTC Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/vtc2020 From there, fans will vote through Google Forms at a later date to decide the winners. Those winners will be announced at the 2022 LLAPy Awards. Virtual Trek Con 3 is a fully virtual, fan-interactive, and free event, March 18-21, 2022. It will feature dozens of celebrity interviews, panels, live shows, games, and fan groups. For information on past Virtual Conventions, see the archived schedules at this link: https://www.virtualtrekcon.com/vtc-1 Fans will have access to polls and updates through the Virtual Trek Con social media: FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM Full explanations at this video link from yesterday/Tuesday’s live show:

Hints About the BIGGEST ANNOUNCEMENT Coming Tuesday, 1/25, and Where to Watch it

By VTC Staff • January 24, 2022
On last week's episode of Virtual Trek Con's "The Main Viewer" live show, the team stated that their biggest announcement ever will be coming on the following week's live show. That next show will be Tuesday, January 25th, at 5pm Pacific Time, 8pm Eastern. Watch the LIVE SHOW HERE. Last week's announcement included a few hints. A fourth hint was posted in the Virtual Trek Con group, which can be found HERE. This is the group that, in July of 2020, brought you the first and biggest virtual science fiction convention ever. To watch all of the videos -- and subsequent conventions -- check out the full archives anytime: https://www.virtualtrekcon.com/Calendar

Nog Takes It All

By Malissa Longo • January 14, 2022
Over the past several weeks, the Facebook group, The Andorian Memeing Consortium, conducted a tournament called, “Greatest Recurring Character on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.” Each pairing would garner votes for 48 hours via Facebook reaction emojis. The winner in each bracket would then proceed to the next round. The competition was fierce and the choices were often very difficult. Nog’s rise to the victor’s seat began in a battle with the head of the Klingon Empire, Gowron. What was to follow for the ambitious young Ferengi would be some choices occurring within our favorite Ferengi family. Nog’s own father, Rom, would be his next challenger. An impossible choice to be sure, as both characters are beautiful and beloved staples of the show.

A Hint T'Pol Is In Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Right Under Our Noses?

By VTC Staff • January 12, 2022
On a recent episode of Virtual Trek Con's Tuesday live show, " The Main Viewer, " Dr. Ann Marie Segal brought up the subject that Star Trek: Enterprise's T'Pol might be in the upcoming Strange New Worlds series. The panel surmised that, with Jolene Blalock being at last September's Star Trek Day event in Sherman Oaks, CA, coupled with the impression that Blalock doesn't usually go Star Trek events or conventions, we may have received an unintentional hint that she is returning to the Star Trek production universe. With Vulcan's longevity of life in Star Trek, Jolene Blalock's T'Pol could still theoretically be alive one hundred years after Enterprise ended. Discovery would've been in that era, until the show went even further into the future after their second season, leaving only the upcoming Strange New Worlds residing in that timeframe. A clip of the conversation can be seen below.

Deep Space Nine's Cirroc Lofton Says THIS Is the BEST Episode of New Star Trek He's Ever Seen

By VTC staff • January 11, 2022
On The 7th Rule Podcast this past Thursday, Deep Space Nine's Jake Sisko, Cirroc Lofton, told Star Trek Prodigy's writer/producer, Aaron J. Waltke, that the animated show's most recent episode, "Kobayashi," is "the best new episode of Star Trek" he's ever seen. Waltke was visibly moved by the sentiment and discussed how difficult the episode was to make as well as how important Star Trek is to him throughout the podcast which included the voice actress that portrays the ship's computer, Bonnie Gordon, and the show's co-host and producer, Ryan T. Husk. The clip of Cirroc's big proclamation and Aaron's subsequent reaction can be viewed here:

Terry Farrell, Nemesis, Twilight Zone, Chain of Command - FINAL Sunday Mini-Con Schedule Dec. 19th, 2021

By Ryan Husk • December 19, 2021
VTC's twelfth and final weekly Sunday Mini-Con is jam packed with panels and interviews from multiple franchises and Star Trek series. This week spotlights anniversaries of both Star Trek Nemesis and TNG's "Chain of Command," as well as Terry Farrell's first interview in a year as she joins The 7th Rule for a very special episode. In addition to that, Falling Tower reviews the original 1959 Twilight Zone, The 7th Rule reveals their favorite episodes of DS9's season 5, Lambda Quadrant shows us how to 3D print cool Trek stuff, and Beyond Trek deep dives into Discovery. There are also clips with Mike McMahan, Tracee Cocco, and Rico E. Anderson. It's all free and all fan-interactive, so hang out with your friends - or just make some new ones among the like-minded #chatpack in the videos' live chats. Schedule for Sunday, December 12th 9am PT / 12pm ET The 7th Rule Presents: Deep Space Nine's 6.7, "You are Cordially Invited" Cirroc Lofton, Malissa Longo, and Ryan T. Husk take a trip down memory lane and discuss this very memorable episode. With special guest: TERRY FARRELL! LINK: https://youtu.be/buhDCWE68BU 9:30am PT / 12:30pm ET Lambda Quadrant - 3D Printing Stary to Finish See how a Star Trek piece is created in a 3D printer from beginning to end. LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGSAFHFksAo 10:30am PT / 1:30pm ET Revisiting TNG's Chain of Command" 29 years later! Dr. Mohamed Noor, Malissa Longo, Meteorologist Katie, and Ryan T. Husk revisit this amazing two-parter from The Next Generation on its 29th anniversary. LINK: https://youtu.be/22rhl5HT4Tc 10:45am PT / 1:45pm ET The 7th Rule - Best Episodes of DS9's Season 5 The 7th Rule clan takes a look back at the entirety of Deep Space Nine's fifth season and each pick their favorite episode. LINK: https://youtu.be/Is1ewT00k_k 11am PT / 2pm ET Falling Tower's "Watch the First" Podcast: "Twilight Zone" Ryan T. Husk, special co-host Dr. Mohamed Noor, and special guest, writer/director Neil Patrick Stevens, review, discuss, and rate the first episode of the 1959 sci-fi series, "Twilight Zone." LINK: https://youtu.be/FiU2fCtXdT0 12:15pm PT / 3:15pm ET Revisiting Star Trek Nemesis 19 years later! Dr. Mohamed Noor, Malissa Longo, Meteorologist Katie, and Ryan T. Husk revisit this amazing film from The Next Generation on its 19th anniversary. LINK: https://youtu.be/QG-kCu7AexE 12:30pm PT / 3:30pm ET Alien Makeup and Actors in Star Trek and Sci-Fi Tracee Cocco has played a dozen different aliens in multiple Star Trek series (as well as Lt. Jae in TNG) and Rico E. Anderson has been a Moclan in The Orville, as well as various Star Trek aliens. Moderated by Ryan T. Husk and Malissa Longo. LINK: https://youtu.be/Zi2eEkyQwt0 1:45pm PT / 4:45pm ET Mike McMahan Lower Decks showrunner, Mike McMahan, reveals the story behind the show's main character, Beckett Mariner. With Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk. LINK: https://youtu.be/hRuD3NGYR6w 2pm PT / 5pm ET Beyond Trek - Discovery, Examples, Tangents, and more! Big J, Renzo, and Dag are back and as prone to detour as ever. Today, we talk about the philosophy of Incarceration, Emergent vs Artifical Intelligence, Astronomical Geometry, Discovery's Evacuation Capacity, and how Gravity and the Speed of Light work in the 32nd century. At some point, there's words about Star Trek Discovery's latest episode, "The Examples." LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mcszEZOc30U 4pm PT / 7pm ET Virtual Trek Con 2 Closing Ceremonies Join us as we close out our twelfth and final Sunday Mini-Con by reliving the Closing Ceremonies from last year's epic five-day convention, Virtual Trek Con 2! LINK: https://youtu.be/GYSt52m9CNE Later in the Week Monday, 12/20, at 6pm PT / 9pm ET The 7th Rule -- Deep Space Nine 6.3, "Sons and Daughters" Cirroc Lofton and Ryan T. Husk review this amazing episode! Link: https://youtu.be/A_AG8biOm7Y Tuesday, 12/21, at 5pm PT / 8pm ET The Main Viewer live! Virtual Trek Con's weekly live show in which they cover the Star Trek and sci-fi news of the week as well as discuss various topics with special guests. It's live and fully fan interactive! Link: https://youtu.be/pudKmai4AG4 Thursday, 12/23, at 6pm PT / 9pm ET The 7th Rule -- Discovery Cirroc Lofton, Malissa Longo, and Ryan T. Husk review the sixth episode of Star Trek Discovery's fourth season the day that it premieres! Link: https://www.youtube.com/the7thrule Sunday Mini-Cons ALL DONE!!! But you can always go back and watch ALL of them at the link below! Link: https://www.virtualtrekcon.com/blog
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