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Welcome to Gene-ology, a podcast by Roddenberry Entertainment that dives deep into the early TV writing works of Gene Roddenberry. To fans, they were the Great Bird of the Galaxy and the First Lady of Star Trek. To their friends and co-workers, Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry were, perhaps, slightly less mythic figures with their own very human quirks, but still beloved and admired. In this panel from the TrekTalks 5 telethon in support of the Hollywood Food Coalition, Gene and Majel are remembered by those who knew them. Podcast hosted by Earl Green & Ashley Thomas TrekTalks panel hosted by John Champion Panel guests: Fred Bronson, Denise Crosby, Ernie Over, Rod Roddenberry About Gene-ology Gene-ology explores Gene Roddenberry's early television scripts, including his lesser-known works before Star Trek using the Mission Log format popularized by Roddenberry Podcasts. We analyze the themes, writing style, and cultural impact of his scripts, and we even unearth stories from the Roddenberry archives that were never produced. Join us as we trace the roots of Gene's creative genius. In This Episode Memories of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry from those who knew and worked with them Join the Conversation What did you think of this episode? Share your thoughts, theories, and favorite moments in the comments or reach out to us on social media or email us at missionlog@roddenberry.com Did you know Roddenberry Podcasts is on YouTube? Find the video versions of your favorite shows like Mission Log: Prodigy, Mission Log: The Orville, as well as exclusive content only available on YouTube. Subscribe now! https://www.youtube.com/@RoddenberryEntertainment?sub_confirmation=1 Follow us on Social Media: INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/roddenberrypodcasts BLUESKY https://bsky.app/profile/roddenberrypod.bsky.social THREADS https://www.threads.net/@roddenberrypodcasts FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/MissionLogPod Our shows are part of the Roddenberry Entertainment family. For more great shows and to learn how we live the legacy of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, follow us here: RODDENBERRY PODCASTS https://www.instagram.com/RoddenberryPodcasts RODDENBERRY ENTERTAINMENT https://www.instagram.com/RoddenberryOfficial RODDENBERRY FOUNDATION https://www.instagram.com/TheRoddenberryFoundation Support the Show For as little as $1 a month, you can gain access to our Mission Log Discord Community! There, we continue the discussion with dedicated channels and a weekly video chat with the hosts. Become a member of our Patreon today! https://www.Patreon.com/MissionLog Subscribe and Stay Tuned Be sure to subscribe to Gene-ology for more deep dives into Gene Roddenberry's early works. New episodes are released regularly as we uncover more of Gene's television legacy. – Gene-ology is produced by Roddenberry Entertainment. Executive producer Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry. Visit https://Podcasts.Roddenberry.com for more great content. Edited by Earl Green.
Fox premieres the first episode of the Marvel superhero series The Gifted, a series set in the universe of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men movies. Stephen Moyer (True Blood), Amy Acker (Angel) and Coby Bell (Burn Notice) star in an episode directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men).
Attempting to build a TV franchise onto the 1973 hit movie Westworld (and ignoring a previous attempted TV revival in 1980), HBO premieres the first episode of Westworld, starring Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, and Evan Rachel Wood. The series premiere of the spectacularly expensive, long-delayed show wins a large audience and a cult following.
Based on the bestselling Andy Weir novel of the same name, The Martian premieres in North America, starring Matt Damon as an astronaut left stranded on Mars when his crewmates believe he has died. The movie is produced with input and cooperation from NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and real-life astronauts and engineers, and features a cameo appearance from a replica of the Mars Pathfinder lander and rover.
Capitol Records releases the album North, South, East, West…Anthology by Tim Finn, a greatest hits album stretching back to his time as the lead singer of Split Enz, and including new material as well.
The 101st and 102nd episodes of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on UPN. James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, and Alyson Hannigan also star. This is the premiere of the series’ sixth season, and the first episodes to air on UPN, which picked the series up from rival network the WB.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 113th episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. Adrienne Wilkinson guest stars in the sixth season premiere.
The 67th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Jayne Heitmeyer, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau. Lisa Howard (Highlander) guest stars in the fourth season premiere.
UPN airs the 46th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Dan Shor (Tron) guest stars in an episode that picks up an obscure plotline left dangling from a 1989 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 72nd episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This two-hour episode opens the fourth season of the series. Star Trek: The Next Generation regular Michael Dorn joins the DS9 cast as Worf, newly transferred to the station. J.G. Hertzler makes his first appearance as General Martok; Andrew Robionson and Patricia Tallman (Babylon 5) guest star.
The 24th episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Peter Scolari (Bosom Buddies, Honey I Shrunk The Kids: The Series) guest stars.
The Soviet Union launches its last space mission, Soyuz TM-13, carrying cosmonauts Alexander Volkov, Toktar Aubakirov and the first Austrian in space, Franz Viehböck, to space station Mir. After a week in space, Aubakirov and Viehböck return to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-12 with incumbent station crewmember Anatoly Artsebarksky, while Volkov stays for 175 days (alongside Krikalev, who will have been in space for 10 months by the time he returns to Earth in 1992). During Volkov and Krikalev’s stay aboard Mir, the Soviet Union collapses; they instead return to Earth as Russian citizens.
The 23rd episode of the horror anthology series Freddy’s Nightmares is broadcast in syndication in North America, hosted by Robert Englund in character as Freddy Krueger. This is the second season premiere.
The ninth episode of the American-made Max Headroom series premieres on ABC, starring Matt Frewer and Amanda Pays. (This is the the American-made drama series, not the music video/talk show series featuring the same character.) Charles Rocket (Saturday Night Live) and Andreas Katsulas (Babylon 5) guest star.
CBS airs the second episode of Ron Koslow’s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast, starring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Roy Dotrice. Delroy Lindo guest stars.
The unmanned Kosmos 1686 module, launched by the Soviet Union in September, successfully completes an automated docking with space station Salyut 7. This new module is a permanent addition to the final Salyut station, offering more habitable space for work and storage aboard the aging station. Kosmos 1686 arrives with nearly 10,000 pounds of supplies and consumables, and serves as a case study to help engineers plan the upcoming Mir space station, which is designed from the outset to consist of several add-on modules.
NBC airs the 16th episode of the Marvel animated series Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends, starring the voices of Dan Gilvezan, Kathy Garver, and Frank Welker, concluding the second season.
Long after Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Battlestar Galactica has completed its run, a California judge throws out 20th Century Fox’s 1978 lawsuit, which alleged that Galactica was too close to elements of Star Wars for the studio’s comfort. (Also at issue, though not specifically mentioned in the legal proceedings, was Universal Studios’ hiring of such Star Wars personnel as FX guru John Dykstra and illustrator Ralph McQuarrie to work on Galactica.) Universal’s television series is declared different enough in key areas to not be considered a rip-off – small comfort for the studio, since ABC cancelled had the series earlier in the year. Still, Galactica’s legal status will come into play later, as Universal will later reassert and exploit its rights to the basic Battlestar Galactica storyline in the 21st century. This is not the end of the lawsuit, however; much like both franchises, it too is revived in 1983, and Universal is ordered to pay 20th Century Fox a settlement of nearly a quarter million dollars in 1984.
The 22nd episode of Star Blazers, an English rewrite and dub of the 1974 anime series Space Battleship Yamato, premieres in syndication across the U.S.
NBC airs the fourth episode of Monster Squad, a live-action Saturday morning comedy starring Fred Grandy. H.B. Haggerty (Buck Rogers In The 25th Century) guest stars.
ABC airs the fourth episode of Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, part of the Krofft Supershow Saturday morning children’s programming block. This is part two of a two-part story, each episode lasting only around 12 minutes.
The 26th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Joanna Cameron guest stars as Isis.
London Weekend Television airs the 13th and final episode of the alternate-future-history series The Guardians, starring Gwyneth Powell and Cyril Luckham. The series’ political plotline prevents it from being broadcast in Northern Ireland, and the series never receives a repeat broadcast. There is no home video release until the 21st century.
The recently-rechristened Environmental Sciences Service Administration (previously the U.S. Weather Bureau) launches, with the help of NASA, weather satellite ESSA-3, the third in a constellation of Earth-observing weather satellites. The timing of the launch is fortunate, as ESSA-3 takes up its station in orbit mere days before the unexpected shutdown of ESSA-1’s camera system. ESSA-3’s own camera system begins to fail in less than a year, and it is deactivated near the end of 1968 due to continued system failures.
The 61st episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Skip Homeier guest stars.
The fourth episode of the time travel sitcom It’s About Time, created by Sherwood Schwarz (I Dream Of Jeannie) and starring Frank Aletter, Jack Mullaney, and Imogene Coca, is broadcast on CBS.
UK broadcaster ATV Midlands airs the 27th episode of Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation science fiction series Thunderbirds, featuring the voices of Shane Rimmer, David Graham, Sylvia Anderson, Ray Barrett, and Peter Dyneley. This is the second season premiere.
The 85th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part one of the story now collectively known as Galaxy Four, the first story of the series’ third season. This episode is missing from the BBC’s archives.
British broadcaster ABC airs the fourth episode of Pathfinders In Space, a follow-up series to Target Luna, produced by future Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman. Peter Williams stars in a script written by Malcolm Hulke (Doctor Who) and Eric Paice (Star Maidens). Though the original master tape of this episode was later wiped for reuse, film recordings of all seven episodes would be recovered and released on DVD in the 21st century.
Operation Hurricane, the first test detonation of a British-built atomic bomb, takes place aboard a Royal Navy frigate anchored near the Monte Bello Islands off of the western Australian coast. The detonation has a yield of 25 kilotons, and is remotely detonated aboard the frigate to gauge the damage that would result from a scenario in which a nuclear device is smuggled into a sea port aboard a ship. This is a continuation of Britain’s own nuclear weapon development program initiated during World War II, and makes the U.K. the third nuclear-armed nation on Earth.
Absolutely no generative AI was used in the creation of the content on this website. It’s mostly just some guy named Earl.
Fox premieres the first episode of the Marvel superhero series The Gifted, a series set in the universe of 20th Century Fox’s X-Men movies. Stephen Moyer (True Blood), Amy Acker (Angel) and Coby Bell (Burn Notice) star in an episode directed by Bryan Singer (X-Men). 
Attempting to build a TV franchise onto the 1973 hit movie Westworld (and ignoring a previous attempted TV revival in 1980), HBO premieres the first episode of Westworld, starring Anthony Hopkins, Thandie Newton, Ed Harris, and Evan Rachel Wood. The series premiere of the spectacularly expensive, long-delayed show wins a large audience and a cult following. 
Based on the bestselling Andy Weir novel of the same name, The Martian premieres in North America, starring Matt Damon as an astronaut left stranded on Mars when his crewmates believe he has died. The movie is produced with input and cooperation from NASA, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and real-life astronauts and engineers, and features a cameo appearance from a replica of the Mars Pathfinder lander and rover. 
The 14th episode of Joss Whedon’s futuristic “spy-fi” series Dollhouse airs on Fox, starring Eliza Dushku. Alexis Denisof (Angel) guest stars.
Capitol Records releases the album North, South, East, West…Anthology by Tim Finn, a greatest hits album stretching back to his time as the lead singer of Split Enz, and including new material as well. 
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 25th episode of the quirky modern-day science fiction series Eureka, starring Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson, Debrah Farentino, and Joe Morton. Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) guest stars in the second season finale. 
The second episode of Tim Kring’s sci-fi/superhero series Heroes airs on NBC, starring Adrian Pasdar, Jack Coleman, Ali Larter, Masi Oka, Hayden Panettiere, and Milo Ventimiglia. Stacy Haiduk (seaQuest DSV) and Thomas Dekker guest star. 
The 28th episode of the Star Trek prequel spinoff Enterprise premieres on UPN. This episode depicts the first Starfleet encounter with the Romulans from a chronological standpoint. 
The 101st and 102nd episodes of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on UPN. James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, and Alyson Hannigan also star. This is the premiere of the series’ sixth season, and the first episodes to air on UPN, which picked the series up from rival network the WB.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 113th episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. Adrienne Wilkinson guest stars in the sixth season premiere. 
The 67th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Jayne Heitmeyer, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau. Lisa Howard (Highlander) guest stars in the fourth season premiere.
Pay cable channel Showtime premieres the 32nd episode of Stargate SG-1. Sarah Douglas (Superman II) and Carmen Argenziano guest star. 
UPN airs the 46th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Dan Shor (Tron) guest stars in an episode that picks up an obscure plotline left dangling from a 1989 episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 72nd episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This two-hour episode opens the fourth season of the series. Star Trek: The Next Generation regular Michael Dorn joins the DS9 cast as Worf, newly transferred to the station. J.G. Hertzler makes his first appearance as General Martok; Andrew Robionson and Patricia Tallman (Babylon 5) guest star. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the fifth episode of Xena: Warrior Princess. 
UPN airs the 21st episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Judy Geeson guest stars. 
The 24th episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Peter Scolari (Bosom Buddies, Honey I Shrunk The Kids: The Series) guest stars.
The Soviet Union launches its last space mission, Soyuz TM-13, carrying cosmonauts Alexander Volkov, Toktar Aubakirov and the first Austrian in space, Franz Viehböck, to space station Mir. After a week in space, Aubakirov and Viehböck return to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-12 with incumbent station crewmember Anatoly Artsebarksky, while Volkov stays for 175 days (alongside Krikalev, who will have been in space for 10 months by the time he returns to Earth in 1992). During Volkov and Krikalev’s stay aboard Mir, the Soviet Union collapses; they instead return to Earth as Russian citizens.
NBC airs the 55th episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell.
Fox Network airs the third episode of Kenneth Johnson’s sci-fi cop series Alien Nation, starring Gary Graham and Eric Pierpoint. James Greene guest stars as Uncle Moodri. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 49th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 
The 23rd episode of the horror anthology series Freddy’s Nightmares is broadcast in syndication in North America, hosted by Robert Englund in character as Freddy Krueger. This is the second season premiere.
The ninth episode of the American-made Max Headroom series premieres on ABC, starring Matt Frewer and Amanda Pays. (This is the the American-made drama series, not the music video/talk show series featuring the same character.) Charles Rocket (Saturday Night Live) and Andreas Katsulas (Babylon 5) guest star. 
CBS airs the second episode of Ron Koslow’s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast, starring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Roy Dotrice. Delroy Lindo guest stars.
The unmanned Kosmos 1686 module, launched by the Soviet Union in September, successfully completes an automated docking with space station Salyut 7. This new module is a permanent addition to the final Salyut station, offering more habitable space for work and storage aboard the aging station. Kosmos 1686 arrives with nearly 10,000 pounds of supplies and consumables, and serves as a case study to help engineers plan the upcoming Mir space station, which is designed from the outset to consist of several add-on modules.
NBC airs the 16th episode of the Marvel animated series Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends, starring the voices of Dan Gilvezan, Kathy Garver, and Frank Welker, concluding the second season.
A&M Records releases the fourth album by The Police, Ghost In The Machine, featuring the singles “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” and “Spirits In The Material World”. 
The 40th episode of Star Blazers, an English rewrite and dub of the 1974 anime series Space Battleship Yamato, airs in syndication across the U.S. 
Long after Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Battlestar Galactica has completed its run, a California judge throws out 20th Century Fox’s 1978 lawsuit, which alleged that Galactica was too close to elements of Star Wars for the studio’s comfort. (Also at issue, though not specifically mentioned in the legal proceedings, was Universal Studios’ hiring of such Star Wars personnel as FX guru John Dykstra and illustrator Ralph McQuarrie to work on Galactica.) Universal’s television series is declared different enough in key areas to not be considered a rip-off – small comfort for the studio, since ABC cancelled had the series earlier in the year. Still, Galactica’s legal status will come into play later, as Universal will later reassert and exploit its rights to the basic Battlestar Galactica storyline in the 21st century. This is not the end of the lawsuit, however; much like both franchises, it too is revived in 1983, and Universal is ordered to pay 20th Century Fox a settlement of nearly a quarter million dollars in 1984.
The 22nd episode of Star Blazers, an English rewrite and dub of the 1974 anime series Space Battleship Yamato, premieres in syndication across the U.S. 
The first episode of the animated science fiction series Battle Of The Planets, Attack Of The Space Terrapin, airs nationwide in syndication. The series is a translation and English dub of the anime series Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman. 
The 83rd episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Jenny Agutter (Logan’s Run) guest stars.
CBS airs the fourth episode of Filmation’s live-action Saturday morning science fiction series Ark II. Robby the Robot (Forbidden Planet) guest stars. 
The 432nd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Judith Paris guest stars as Eldrad. 
The 29th episode of Gerry Anderson’s space adventure series Space: 1999 airs on British broadcaster ITV, starring Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, and Catherine Schell. Bernard Cribbins (Doctor Who) and Marc Zuber (The Changes) guest star. 
NBC airs the fourth episode of Monster Squad, a live-action Saturday morning comedy starring Fred Grandy. H.B. Haggerty (Buck Rogers In The 25th Century) guest stars.
ABC airs the fourth episode of Electra Woman & Dyna Girl, part of the Krofft Supershow Saturday morning children’s programming block. This is part two of a two-part story, each episode lasting only around 12 minutes. 
The 26th episode of Filmation’s live-action Shazam! series airs on CBS, starring John Davey, Michael Gray and Les Tremayne. Joanna Cameron guest stars as Isis.
The fifth episode of Gerry Anderson’s space adventure series Space: 1999 premieres on British broadcaster ITV. Brian Blessed makes his first of two guest starring appearances on the series. 
The fifth episode of Sid & Marty Krofft’s Far-Out Space Nuts airs on CBS, starring Bob Denver (Gillgan’s Island) and Chuck McCann (Herbie Rides Again). 
London Weekend Television airs the 13th and final episode of the alternate-future-history series The Guardians, starring Gwyneth Powell and Cyril Luckham. The series’ political plotline prevents it from being broadcast in Northern Ireland, and the series never receives a repeat broadcast. There is no home video release until the 21st century.
British broadcaster Thames Television airs the 130th episode of the spy-fi series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson. 
The recently-rechristened Environmental Sciences Service Administration (previously the U.S. Weather Bureau) launches, with the help of NASA, weather satellite ESSA-3, the third in a constellation of Earth-observing weather satellites. The timing of the launch is fortunate, as ESSA-3 takes up its station in orbit mere days before the unexpected shutdown of ESSA-1’s camera system. ESSA-3’s own camera system begins to fail in less than a year, and it is deactivated near the end of 1968 due to continued system failures.
The 61st episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Skip Homeier guest stars.
The fourth episode of the time travel sitcom It’s About Time, created by Sherwood Schwarz (I Dream Of Jeannie) and starring Frank Aletter, Jack Mullaney, and Imogene Coca, is broadcast on CBS.
UK broadcaster ATV Midlands airs the 27th episode of Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation science fiction series Thunderbirds, featuring the voices of Shane Rimmer, David Graham, Sylvia Anderson, Ray Barrett, and Peter Dyneley. This is the second season premiere.
The 85th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part one of the story now collectively known as Galaxy Four, the first story of the series’ third season. This episode is missing from the BBC’s archives.
British broadcaster ABC airs the fourth episode of Pathfinders In Space, a follow-up series to Target Luna, produced by future Doctor Who creator Sydney Newman. Peter Williams stars in a script written by Malcolm Hulke (Doctor Who) and Eric Paice (Star Maidens). Though the original master tape of this episode was later wiped for reuse, film recordings of all seven episodes would be recovered and released on DVD in the 21st century.
CBS airs the first episode of Rod Serling’s anthology series The Twilight Zone. Earl Holliman stars in a script written by Serling.
Operation Hurricane, the first test detonation of a British-built atomic bomb, takes place aboard a Royal Navy frigate anchored near the Monte Bello Islands off of the western Australian coast. The detonation has a yield of 25 kilotons, and is remotely detonated aboard the frigate to gauge the damage that would result from a scenario in which a nuclear device is smuggled into a sea port aboard a ship. This is a continuation of Britain’s own nuclear weapon development program initiated during World War II, and makes the U.K. the third nuclear-armed nation on Earth.