What happens when the diabetes community and the Star Trek fandom collide? The actor who brought these groups together spent time as a blue-skinned alien on Star Trek Discovery. Now Noah Averbach-Katz wants to make a movie where T1D is front and center. He shares more about the Kickstarter campaign to fund it, and about his time in the Star Trek world
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Stacey Simms 0:00
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This is Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms.
This week when the diabetes community and the Star Trek fandom collide! The actor who brought these groups together spent time as a blue skinned alien with a lot of prosthetics on Star Trek Discovery, but he had to find a way to reach his fingers for blood sugar checks.
Noah Averbach-Katz 0:45
I sort of explained that to him. And they said, Well, it's fine. We'll just put you in gloves the whole time. So the entire time of my sort of run of the show, I am wearing like black leather gloves. Regardless of what I'm doing. I'm eating breakfast, I'm wearing black leather gloves, I'm flying a spaceship, I'm I'm wearing black leather gloves. And that was just so I can have easy access to my fingers. So I could test.
Stacey Simms 1:10
That's Noah Averbach-Katz . And while we talk a lot about Star Trek, he's really here to share the news about a movie he's making called type one. We've got all the info about the Kickstarter campaign to fund it, and other ways you can help.
This podcast is not intended as medical advice. If you have those kinds of questions, please contact your health care provider.
Welcome to another week of the show. Always so glad to have you along. You know, we aim to educate and inspire about diabetes with a focus on people who use insulin. I didn't plan it this way. But it's interesting. This is the second week in a row that we're doing more of a pop culture or media type episode about diabetes. Right? We talked about turning red last week, if you missed that episode, that is the new Pixar movie on Disney plus, that features two characters with diabetes in the background. And I talked to Susan Fogg from Pixar, who made that happen with her whole team, of course, and one of the things that Susan talked about was why it was just fine to have diabetes in the background, right? That's about what isn't her life. That's how it is for many people with diabetes. It's not always front and center. It's not always what you want to talk about.
But this week's guest looked at things a little differently. And she'll hear Noah Averbach-Katz wanted to put diabetes front and center and make a movie that didn't feature it in the background. So while I didn't plan, as I said, you know, back to back here, I think it's an interesting contrast. Of course, the other big contrast is that Noah's movie is self-funded, it is on Kickstarter, I am going to link that up right here in the show notes. It'll be at diabetes connections.com. Very easy to get to, as we are taping the Kickstarter is still going on. But if you're listening to this after it is ending, the deadline is March 24 2022. And as you'll hear, he's already exceeded his goal. And we'll talk about how that happened. But it doesn't mean that he still doesn't need the money. This movie is expensive, all movies are expensive, and he shares about where the money will go, even as he has exceeded the goal. So if you are so inclined, I will link that up. You can head over there. There's a preview of the movie and more information.
Noah was diagnosed with type one as a teenager, he will share that story. He's an actor, he has been featured in Star Trek Discovery. That's just one of the parts that he has had. And as he mentioned, he is married to Mary Wiseman, who has a starring role in Star Trek Discovery. When they got married in 2019. The New York Times did a write up and I will include that because it's a beautiful story. It's really well written. It's a lot of fun, but I will just share the headline here a life frequently apart, but an enterprise they'll boldly take on. There's a lot of Star Trek in this family. I do need to warn you know what is pretty blunt about diabetes. We all talk about this in different ways. But I would want a heads up if I were listening to this episode with kids. It's not that he's not factual or that he's overly morbid, but when he talks about what can happen, he doesn't pull any punches. So just go into the interview knowing that he's a dry wit and I didn't want to edit what he had to say. So he's blunt. I talked a little bit about my Star Trek fandom during the interview. I'm going to come back and share some stories about that afterwards.
Okay, our conversation in just a moment but first Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Omnipod. And I remember years ago when Benny first started on the Animas insulin pump Yeah, this was a long time ago and upgrade came out but we had to wait years to be eligible for it because of insurance requirements out frustrating is that I'm so glad things are changing. For example, the Omnipod promise takes those worries away with the Omnipod promise you can upgrade to Omnipod five s When it's available to you and covered by insurance, all for no additional upfront cost Omnipod is available through the pharmacy, which means you won't be tied to a long term contract, you're free to upgrade at any time. Not to mention, you can pick your pods up right where you pick up your insulin, go to diabetes dash connections.com and click on the Omnipod logo for full safety risk information and Omnipod promise terms and conditions, visit omnipod.com/diabetes connections.
Noah, thank you so much for joining me, I think this is going to be a lot of
Noah Averbach-Katz 5:35
fun. My pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.
Stacey Simms 5:38
Let's just jump in and start off the bat. Tell me about this movie. Before I ask you why you wanted to do something like that. Tell me what type one what is it?
Noah Averbach-Katz 5:48
So type one is essentially a short film about a type one diabetic and his wife who in the wake of some sort of societal disaster, I mean, really take your pick these days, they sort of go on a journey to kind of find what they hope as a cache of insulin to keep the guy alive as long as possible. And that's pretty much the thrust of the film.
Stacey Simms 6:14
Is it written?
Noah Averbach-Katz 6:14
I mean, you've this is all you right? Yes, yes, I of course wrote myself in the starring role as diabetic man. So yes, it's, it's all written. I haven't read it in a really long time. So I'm wondering if it's any good. But I probably should have dipped back in on it before I started the Kickstarter, but it's too late. Now.
Stacey Simms 6:34
It's one of those things, be careful what you wish for. Because it's been so successful.
Noah Averbach-Katz 6:38
There's a saying that if you really want to freak an actor out, give them the role. I definitely feel that these days.
Stacey Simms 6:45
So it doesn't sound like you wrote this to recently tell me the story of how it kind of came to you the idea and your how you started putting it together? Sure,
Noah Averbach-Katz 6:53
I was actually doing a play in Baltimore. And in that play, there was a very talented deaf actor named Michelle Edmonds, and she was gracious enough to sort of lead me into the deaf community in a small way, kind of give me some insight on what it means how important it is all the intricacies there were and there were also, you know, translators and other deaf consultants on this show as well. And it just really got me thinking about the diabetes community, and how different it was from the deaf community. In the deaf community. There's so much that is shared between people, there's so much like common, not language, but like common understandings of etiquette and stuff like that. And there are these huge community hubs like Gallaudet University and stuff like that. And in the diabetes community, especially in the type one community, for a lot of reasons, it isn't quite like that. Part of that is, you know, at some would say this is debatable, but I genuinely consider if you choose to be diabetes can be an invisible illness. So you know, you're not sort of having to survive in the same way that people with other non invisible disabilities have to do. I felt at the time, there was a real lack of media of things that people in the diabetic community could sort of rally around and have a common thing to talk about, other than how they handle their care. Pretty much all of the diabetes representation in the current landscape right now, you know, obviously, there's this long list and some are better than others, and some are like iconically bad and some are really trying to be hard. But all of them are really for the abled community. They're not really for the disabled community. And there's nothing really wrong with that, especially when the creators or whoever's writing or producing a movie tries really hard to get things right. There's nothing wrong with that. But I think you'd be hard pressed for any other diabetics to to point to something and say, oh, yeah, that is really represents something about my experience. And I can talk about this, this is a launching point for a conversation with other people. And I was sort of in that headspace. And in this play I was doing, I was playing a dog. And I had these long stretches where I just laid on the floor for like, 45 minutes, and I would just sit there thinking blahdy blah, just random thoughts going through my head. And I sort of thought about this idea, which is, you know, basically the pitch for the movie, and I thought that could be a good idea. That's not a bad idea for a script and like, it's something that is both narratively exciting, and something that I think is a universal experience for type one diabetics, the fear of not being able to get your insulin whether that's through a natural disaster or whether that's through an institutionally caused lack of access. And that was in February, late February of 2020. And then like five weeks later, I was sitting in my house in New York being like, Well, I think I need to write this down. So for the first four or five weeks of quarantine in New York, when we were just completely locked inside, I would wake up early write for an hour. And at the end of that little section, the script was was finished pretty much.
Stacey Simms 10:20
I'm curious, when you talk about diabetes in media, I think we all have a story, or a movie, a TV show a book, something that we look at and say, Gosh, really, like, sometimes they get it right. But it's so minor. And sometimes they get it wrong. And it's major. Does there anything that you have seen that you're just like, why?
Noah Averbach-Katz 10:37
Well, you know, the one that really has stuck with me over the years is a episode of The Walking Dead. And it's so relevant to this film. It's almost embarrassing, but it's an episode of The Walking Dead, where it's a type one diabetic and his sister. I mean, I don't actually really remember so don't know what I'm sorry. Yeah. And he's dragging this cooler of insulin, and the good guy steals it and gives it back. And then I think they all get eaten by zombies. Yeah, but I just think she goes low, and they give her a shot. Yeah, something like that. And I just remember thinking, I'm sorry, what you This is year four of the zombie apocalypse, and you're just dragging around a cooler of insulin. These efforts are dead, you're dead, you're dead. And I think everybody has this conference, or a lot of people have this conversation, which, you know, what would you do in the zombie apocalypse? I get in my car, do this type of blah. And my answer is, I'm dying. I'm out. And people hate that answer that really drives them. No, no, no. And I'm like, no, no, no, I'm the guy who's going to buy you another five minutes by holding them off in the corridor, you know what I mean? Because I'm not surviving this stuff. And that sort of is sort of this other element of this whole movie is, is that experience, you know, of, of really feeling like in media, like so often, disabilities type one, but plenty of other disabilities are used as this sort of plot point where the person who is abled saves the disabled person, and they're the hero, and everything works out. And in reality, it's not that way, because people with disabilities have to fight for themselves, right? You know, in every single case, it's not abled people stepping up to the plate and saying, we're going to change this for you, we're going to do this for you. It's it's people with disabilities, absolutely fighting tooth and nail for whatever they need to make their lives livable with the help of abled allies, right. Of course, they're not doing it on their own, there are people who are assisting them. But it really is the people with disabilities front and center. And so part of this film is also putting that in the middle of it as well. So it it's not necessarily about somebody who is abled, dragging a cooler of insulin through the forest. It's teamwork, it's two people working together to try and accomplish a goal. And the person with the disability is really in the center of the story.
Stacey Simms 13:09
So tell us about the Kickstarter, this launched, I think I saw you and you and I started talking, when you were just shy of the goal in the time it took us to set up this interview and talk to each other, you have exceeded the goal by more than I think twice. You're like 200% above it. Can you talk to me a little bit about what you actually are raising money for. For those of us maybe who don't understand what needs to go into a movie, we know it costs a ton of money,
Noah Averbach-Katz 13:34
you know, I've never made a movie before. So I'm learning as I go, just how expensive everything is, you know, you have to pay for all this really expensive specialized equipment, you have to pay for the use of a space, you know, we're going to be shooting, like outside of the city center where we live. So we have to rent hotel rooms and rent an Airbnb and very people in and out and pay for everybody's food. You know, we have to compensate to the best of our ability, everybody who's working on the film. And that's not to, you know, include, like professional actors, like my wife, or, you know, a director who could really commend a fee, like Anthony is doing all this for free and helping out with the Kickstarter on top of that. So it's an expensive process. And part of it is I feel such a massive responsibility to make this movie feel as polished and professional as possible, so that everyone has to take it seriously. It doesn't just sort of get pegged as a disability piece. You know what I mean? Because it's maybe because of it as an excuse. Yeah. Oh, well, it looks a little under production value. So I definitely feel a big responsibility to make it feel and look and read like a real professional films and that is is, unfortunately very expensive.
Stacey Simms 15:03
All right. One of the things that really got my attention was you did not only get the attention of the diabetes community with your social media campaign and the Kickstarter here, but of course, you got the attention of the Star Trek community and it looks like they have been really generous. I got it. I mean, this is so embarrassing, because all right, I'll show my age. I'm a huge Star Trek fan, but I am a next generation fan. And it never kind of went from there. I started watching the next generation. Mostly I just watched in high school. Then I watched it was in syndication. I don't know if you know what that is. I do.
Noah Averbach-Katz 15:33
I'm not that young. Okay. I watched it in syndication to Alright, so Washington syndication I know that Netflix used to send out DVDs It's okay.
Stacey Simms 15:43
And then I got busy with life and kids and I missed all the other ones
Noah Averbach-Katz 15:47
Miss DS nine, you missed Voyager? No, first contact. My goodness, you've got a lot of catching up to do.
Stacey Simms 15:54
I did. I watched all the movies. In fact, we did. We did a rewatch of all of them, including the original movies like with Kirk, we did have during COVID. We'll come back to that because I have some specific Star Trek questions. But let's talk about you and your wife. No, you did not meet on Star Trek. Right? You guys knew each other before it didn't she she was cast. Tell me the story. Well, first
Noah Averbach-Katz 16:14
off, let me say this, which is that? You know, our director Anthony Rapp, who is also on Star Trek Discovery, basically has been mentored by Jonathan Frakes, aka Riker. So there is a very strong connection to the next generation in this film. As Anthony sort of has been doing directing on Discovery is Anthony Rapp the same Anthony Rapp from rent. That's correct. The very same. Oh, yes. Yes, we've got all of your favorite nostalgia pics. All in one movie.
Stacey Simms 16:47
90s. Rewind.
Noah Averbach-Katz 16:50
Yeah, yeah. So Anthony, you would, of course know him is Mark from rent, but he's been in dazed and confused, and eventually babysitting either as a direct connection to the next generation here. So it's not so far out of the realm to bring that up. But Mary and I met at Julliard, we were both classmates there. And I was a big Star Trek fan. And she hadn't really, you know, she, like everybody who grew up in the 90s. In the early aughts had like, watch the next generation, but that's kind of it. And she got an audition for Star Trek. And I was so excited. And I read the lines with her. And that was kind of it. She was supposed to do a slate, which is essentially like, just like a full body shot to see how tall you are. And she came in wearing this flowery flowing dress, sort of a hippie dress. So I would normally never say anything. But this one time, I said, Look, sweetie, you look amazing. But you need to wear something with shoulder pads. And so she came back in, and it's sort of military style jacket. And she got the parts. So that's what I liked. I liked to say that she got the part because of that. Oh, that's so funny. And that was in 2016 17 2017. And then she's just been working on the show. And I got a chance to work on the show as well. And yeah, it's just been a lot of fun for me. I hope she's having as much fun as I am. But I'm certainly having a good time. But
Stacey Simms 18:14
what is it but your mother is the biggest Star Trek, right?
Noah Averbach-Katz 18:17
This is true. Yes. My mother is of course having the most fun of all. Yes, she's gotten to go to conventions with me when I've been at conventions. She got to go on set and sit in the captain's chair. She really has. Yeah, she really has lived this this wild Star Trek fan dream that she's very, very pleased with herself. And we're all very happy for her. She's having the time of her life.
Stacey Simms 18:44
We haven't actually talked about your diabetes. Well, how old were you when you were diagnosed?
Noah Averbach-Katz 18:49
I was 13. It was the summer between eighth grade and my freshman year of high school. So that was about 20 years ago.
Stacey Simms 18:57
What do you remember about it?
Noah Averbach-Katz 18:59
I remember just like feeling kind of, I just remember all the classic symptoms, you know, going to the bathroom all the time being so thirsty, losing a ton of weight. And then my family doctor came in to the office and said something to me, and my mom looked upset. So I was like, well, this isn't good. I don't know what he's talking about. You know, this was sort of before diabetes was in the consciousness for everyone. You know, it's like phase one, phase two diabetes. Yeah. And then, you know, I'm old enough to remember using NPH and having to eat on this crazy schedule when my long acting would kick in. And you know, it's funny because I stopped using a pump in 2011 but that pump that I had been using was pretty much the same pump since 2005. And so I'm like, I'm done with pumps. I'm out. I don't want to use them anymore. But then I'm like, Oh man, like I'm still thinking about pumps like people think about the ice Phone five like Blackberry. Yeah, I'm like I'm stuck in 2005 when it comes to a lot of that technology, so it's been a similar journey to many others.
Stacey Simms 20:13
Did you go on a pump? Or do you still use pens? No, I
Noah Averbach-Katz 20:16
still use pens. But I have graduated to using a Dexcom G six. So at least I'm not completely stuck in the past. Well,
Stacey Simms 20:25
the reason I'm asking is mostly because when I ask actors, I always like to know how or if they try to hide the technology. Because some of these outfits are pretty form fitting.
Noah Averbach-Katz 20:36
When I was on Star Trek, I wasn't on the G six yet, I was still using finger sticks. And for those who don't know, I was playing an alien, a blue alien called an Andorian. It was it was a full prosthetic face, right? So my entire face is covered in this thick layer of rubber. And one of my classmates kind of the king of prosthetics. His name is Doug Jones, you would know him as the fish from the shape of water. Oh, yeah, he also wears prosthetics. And I had been on set with him a lot. And I'd see they put him in prosthetic hands. He's kind of like goofy looking gloves, but that you couldn't take them on and off, they were super fitted. So he would just sit there, you know, not being able to poke at his phone or do anything. And when I got cast, I was so you know, so excited. Thinking about the prosthetics and I thought, Oh, crap, you know, if they put me in these prosthetic gloves that I can't take on and off, I'm screwed, you know, I'm gonna have to have somebody take my blood sugar, maybe on my forearm. But if I'm wearing clothing that I can't roll up and down like this is going to be a disaster. So I asked Mary, and she said, well just bring it up to the costume people and see what they can do for you. And the costume people, oh, I sort of explained that to them. And they sort of Nan said, Well, it's fine. We'll just put you in gloves the whole time. So the entire time of my sort of run of the show, I am wearing like black leather gloves. Regardless of what I'm doing. I'm eating breakfast, I'm wearing black leather gloves, I'm flying a spaceship, I'm wearing black leather gloves. And that was just so I could have easy access to my fingers. So I could test. So that's kind of a fun, diabetes Insider.
Stacey Simms 22:20
Because you know, it's after stories, if we were talking to small children, or people who were wondering about how they're going to work at work or school, you can use an accommodation to be made even this blue alien. found a way. Exactly, exactly. But that's great. So I've already asked about your mom and Star Trek. And I hesitate. But I'm just always curious as being a parent of a child with type 1 diabetes. I'm most curious about other parents. And I know that when you're 13 or 14, you're not really paying attention to how your parents are going through something like that. But is there anything that they did when you were a teenager that helped?
Noah Averbach-Katz 22:55
Hmm, when you're 13, you're still really a kid, you know what I mean? So it's hard to say like what they did that helped, you know, they, they took me when I got diagnosed, we were gonna go to London. And instead, we went to a diabetes summer camp, which I absolutely loathe. And I was utterly miserable. I was so unhappy. But I think it was very good for them. So I think that really helped them because they were, you know, they were totally freaked out. It was this huge job, there wasn't the resources available online, right, you know, so it was just like, you kind of get thrown to the wolves back then. And it's sort of sink or swim. So I think that really helped them. And then the first semester or two of high school, I was just sort of like in and out of school, I would just like not go to school. And they were just sort of fine with that. And I think that was helpful just to take a couple of months to just get my bearings understand what was going on. And I think for them just having me around so that they also weren't worrying all the time. Yeah. And then I think it was also very helpful at some point. And of course, this changes person to person, everybody, when it comes to this stuff really needs different forms of help. But I think at some point, I just said, I am so sick of having you guys around. I'm so sick of being around you. I'm tired of you. I'm tired of you. And I'm 14, you know, yeah. So I'm taking control of this, and I'm taking control of my life, and I'll see you suckers later. And being okay, with handing me the reins, you know, is not an easy thing for any parent to do. And I think they just sort of let me go for it. You know, and I think that was really useful and very smart. Because at the end of the day, it really is it is on the diabetic to take care of it as much as the parent would love to movie with only ever leave your site. Exactly. And, you know, of course it's not the same for younger kids who really do need that different level of attention. But yeah, you know, once you hit 14, you're going to hit some problems if you're really trying to not control but have some control over your child's life, even if it is in the diabetes fear. You're the one who's who's out there alone, you have to be able to handle it yourself. So feeling like your parents trusted you to be able to not die is a good vote of confidence.
Stacey Simms 25:24
You sound like my son. That's so blunt.
Noah Averbach-Katz 25:27
Yeah. Well, you know, diabetes makes you kind of blunt, because it is black and white, right? You get this stuff and you live where you don't, and you die. And that's sort of what the movie is about. As much as it is about disaster or access to infant. It is also a very universal thing for diabetics, which can make some non-diabetics a little uncomfortable, which is a constant confrontation with mortality, right? You have the stuff you live, you don't have the stuff you die, there's not really wiggle room in there, and you kind of have to get comfortable with it. Because otherwise, you're just kind of woken up by it in the middle of the night and you start to panic. So you have to kind of make peace with it and look it in the eyes and just say alright, your this fact is coming with me, and I can handle it.
Stacey Simms 26:13
Let's talk a little bit more about Star Trek. You know, Gene Roddenberry's vision was very optimistic. Sure. Does that optimism hold up in this crazy time that we're living in? I mean, I'll answer I'll say yes, because I think that's why people are still drawn to it and still love all the shows. But I'm curious what you think about this very optimistic.
Noah Averbach-Katz 26:33
Here, my experience interacting with most people, and I think this Kickstarter is a reflection of that is that people want to be the best version of themselves, they want to be helpful. They want to lend aid where they can. And when asked to step up to the plate, most people do their best. I think that's my experience is that there is a lot of stuff that gets in the way of that. But I just really think that most people want to help. And there aren't a lot of opportunities to help. Because the world is huge. And our communities have sort of fractured and for all sorts of reasons. But when I watch different shows, or think about different shows, I actually think that the reason why Star Trek has stuck with so many people is it is a real reflection of how people try to be the best version of themselves how they would like to interact with people, which is leading with a from a sense of, of cooperation, leading from wanting to be helpful, leading to problem solving. And just those simple things cooperating with other people, anybody who's worked at a job knows this cooperating is really challenging. Working alongside other people who come from a different background have different ideas than you is really challenging, working together to solve a problem that doesn't have a clear answer, that people have different ideas about how to go about solving is really, really challenging. And I think Star Trek is about, like, how do you navigate that right? How do you navigate people who are trying to work together, but are very, very different. I think that has been the most one to one reflection of my sort of adult experience, which is that people want to help they want to be involved. They want to make the world a better place. But it's really, really hard to do. I don't know, I just think people don't want to live in a dark, gritty reality. It's cool to watch. Don't get me wrong. But I think people really do strive to live in a community orientated, bonded, connected society. And that is sort of the example that Star Trek offers less than a utopia. I don't think it's a utopia, because there are so many issues, you know, otherwise there wouldn't be any problems. And I don't think that Star Trek is offering a world where there are no problems. I think it's offering a world where the opportunity to solve conflicts to solve interpersonal problems with quality communication, where a lot of the societal barriers have been removed. So it makes the focus less about how you're going to survive and more about how you can aid your community. I think that's sort of what people would really, really like most people I interact with anyway.
Stacey Simms 29:37
Yeah. Well said very well said. So what's next for type one, the movie? I mean, as I said, you've already hit the Kickstarter goal. It'll wrap up pretty soon. What comes next in the process?
Noah Averbach-Katz 29:49
Well, you know, like, once we sort of realized, okay, we're going to have enough money to make this movie. We've sort of kicked our pre production into gear, hiring everybody who's not already on The team finding the right location, getting all the logistics in order. And that will continue basically up until we shoot sometime in May. And then after May it goes into post production, and then a post production goes smoothly will go into the festival circuit. So yeah, it's really just trying to get the machine running for this project, which seems like a small little movie, but to do it right really does take a lot of it takes all hands on deck, and you're saying May of this year just start shooting? Yeah, we got to move fast because people have to make other television shows holy
Stacey Simms 30:35
cow. Well, Noah, thank you so much for joining me for sharing so much information. I'm thrilled that the Kickstarter has gone so well. And I hope that when you can breathe again, it sounds like you're running nonstop for several months, come back and tell us how it went and how we can continue to help.
Noah Averbach-Katz 30:53
Absolutely, I would love to be back. Thank you so much for having me.
Stacey Simms 31:02
You're listening to Diabetes Connections with Stacey Simms. More information and that Kickstarter link, of course, over at diabetes connections.com. If you're listening in a podcast app like Apple or Spotify, the links should be there too. Sometimes they don't work so well in those apps. So please head on over to the episode homepage every week to get the information at diabetes dash connections.com. It's really interesting with podcast apps, how they're so easy to use, but the links don't often show up, especially with Apple, which is the top way people listen to the show as to the Apple podcast app. But you know, the links are not so hot. So I always put it out there that you can head back to the homepage, I am going to tell you a little bit more about my Star Trek stuff. I alluded to a little bit in the interview there. But how I how it ties into my former career in television. No, I was never on a Star Trek episode.
But first, Diabetes Connections is brought to you by Dexcom. And when we first started with Dexcom, back in December of 2013, the share and follow apps were not an option. They just hadn't come out with the technology yet. So trust me when I say using share and follow makes a big difference. I do think it's really important. I say this a lot. Talk to the person you're following or sharing with and get comfortable with how you want everyone to use the system. Even if you're following your young child. These are great conversations to have at what numbers are you going to get in touch? How long will you wait before you call that sort of thing. And that way, the whole system gives everyone real peace of mind. And I'll tell you what I love about Dexcom share, and that is helping Benny with any issues using the data from the whole day and night, not just one moment, internet connectivity is required to access the separate Dexcom follow app. To learn more, go to diabetes connections.com and click on the Dexcom logo.
So I mentioned a little bit of the interview with Noah about how I love Star Trek The Next Generation and how that's really where my fandom stop. If you just kind of embarrassing. I meant to watch Discovery before he talked to him. But I ran out of time. And I've got to get Paramount or whatever the channel it's on. So we did watch season one of Picard. We did it with the free special right the free trial of that channel. Since the second season has just come out, I'll probably get paramount and watch Discovery.
I think that's where it is Fingers crossed. I've got it right. There's so much streaming. But back in the day before streaming, and just syndication. I used to watch Star Trek The Next Generation and I started watching it in high school. And I believe it was always in syndication, right wasn't one of those weird shows that didn't really have a network home. It was just syndicated. And it stayed in syndication forever, even after the series finished its run. So when I worked at WSTM, the NBC affiliate in Syracuse, New York, I used to go to bed very early because I had to be up I had to be on the air at five o'clock in the morning. I didn't remember what time I got up to it was even worse than radio because I had to put makeup on and you know, get dressed to look cute. I mean, that was got dressed to radio too. But you don't I mean, it's all different. So I used to go to bed at 730 or eight o'clock. And to Star Trek The Next Generation came on at seven. So I used to watch that most nights. And then when that was over, it was bedtime. And I got into that habit for ever. And then I moved jobs and move cities and you know, it just didn't last and I never picked up on any of the other shows.
I loved Picard as if they did a great job of kind of updating it and giving a lot of nods to the fans but also having a really good time and my husband is not as much of a Star Trek fan as I am and he really liked Picard. And we also watched as long as I'm giving you sci fi recommendation just we watched the Expanse this year too. We started watching that last year and that's on Amazon Prime. The Expanse is fabulous. The first season is pretty slow. I know get through it. Don't skip it though. You need it for later on. But the first season is not the best. But it's a great show. It's six seasons. I've loved it so much that when I was finished I went back and read all the books and the books are fantastic too. Good stuff Although, all right now that I'm recommending pop culture stuff, I will say that the expanse, especially in the early seasons, that early books is very male centered. It's written by a couple of guys. So no surprise there. When you watch the next generation, when you go back now with my now, those skirts are pretty short and the female crew doesn't exactly get the best storylines. So if you're looking for sci fi or fantasy, that is just incredible, and also happens to be a little bit more female centered, and Kay Jemison, Broken Earth series. I read that last year, absolutely phenomenal. Probably the best sci fi or fantasy series I've read in ages. And I'm into that too. So I'll link I'll link all this up. If you're interested. Join me for my new pop culture podcast. Stacey talks about sci fi. You know what, that sounds kind of fun. All right. But that is not what this podcast is all about. Go check out Noah's Kickstarter.
Next week, I am getting right back into the technology and tools of diabetes. We're talking with the folks from via site. This is the encapsulation of stem cells. This is the quote, functional cure. We know way down the road for type one, they were really interesting. There's a lot of new stuff that's been happening since I last talked about via site on the show. It's kind of beyond encapsulation, that what they're doing very much sci fi feeling, if I could tie it back into that, but it really is interesting stuff. And I hope you can join me. All right, thank you, as always, to my editor, John Bueknas from audio editing solutions. Thank you so much for listening. I really appreciate it. I'm Stacey Simms. I'll see you back here soon. Until then. Are any of you expecting me to say live long and prosper? Alright, be kind to yourself. Diabetes Connections is a production of Stacey Simms media. All rights reserved. All wrongs avenged