theLogBook.com is a chronicle of how we used to imagine the future – an ever-expanding logbook of what our entertainment, our culture, and even our brightest minds thought would happen. It’s nostalgia – and some real history – that gives factual context to the fiction, cultural context to the factual, and always looks to the future.
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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. Is this the best television script Gene Roddenberry wrote prior to creating Star Trek? Gene's singular episode of the popular medical drama Dr. Kildare is a powerful story full of rich characters and raw emotions – the bedrock of great television drama. Hosted by Earl Green & Ashley Thomas 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 A breakdown of key moments and themes in "A Distant Thunder". Exploring Gene Roddenberry's evolving style and storytelling. How this episode ties into the broader TV landscape of the time and reflects the early seeds of Roddenberry's visionary work. Guest stars and unique production elements that bring this episode to life. Special Segment: Dramatic Recreation Since this script is not available to the public, we've brought it to life with a dramatic recreation! Special guests Jeff Gauntt and Bonnie Gordon perform a key section of the script. Listen in as they bring the story to life in this exclusive performance. 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.
Streaming service CBS All Access releases the 23rd episode of Star Trek: Discovery. Melissa George (Roar, Alias, Heartbeat), Alan Van Sprang (Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, The Tudors), and Ethan Peck (10 Things I Hate About You) guest star in an episode which hearkens back heavily to the original Star Trek series pilot, The Cage.
After a long process of gaining sufficient approval to be budgeted for a design phase, NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft gets a name and a preliminary shape, but no completion date or launch window any more specific than “the 2020s”, likely putting it at Jupiter’s intriguing moon Europa in the early 2030s after a series of gravity assists. Europa Clipper is intended to closely survey Europa from orbit, attempting to focus on its icy surface and the saltwater ocean believed to be hidden beneath that surface.
Actor Paul Winfield, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1978 TV miniseries King, dies of a heart attack at the age of 62. In genre circles, Mr. Winfield won praise for his portrayal of Captain Terrell of the Reliant in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan and as General Richard Franklin in the GROPOs episode of Babylon 5, but perhaps his best genre outing was in a 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Darmok. He received Emmy nominations for his work in King and Roots: The Next Generation, as well as an Oscar nomination for Sounder; he finally took home an Emmy for a guest role on Picket Fences in 1995.
The fourth episode of the science fiction comedy series The Strangerers is broadcast on Sky One, created and written by Rob Grant (Red Dwarf), starring Mark Williams and Jack Docherty.
The 132nd episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Peter White guest stars.
The 44th episode of the science fiction comedy Red Dwarf airs on BBC 2. Norman Lovett makes his first appearance as Holly since season two. Also making its appearance for the first time since the fifth season – despite the fact that the show is named after it – is Red Dwarf itself. This ends the series’ seventh season.
Fox airs the 40th episode of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, Cleavant Derricks, and Kari Wuhrer. Jay Acovone (Stargate SG-1) guest stars.
Showtime airs the 52nd episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) guest stars.
After decades of the tiny object being seen only as a point of light in even the best telescopic images, the Hubble Space Telescope makes the first survey of the surface of Pluto. Even without the distortion introduced by Earth’s atmosphere, Hubble’s best shots of Pluto are vague due to the distance from Earth to Pluto, but they mark the first time that even blurry surface detail has been seen. The new images help NASA gain support for a Pluto flyby mission in the 21st century, which will eventually be named New Horizons.
NBC airs the 25th episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Marcia Cross (Melrose Place, Desperate Housewives) and Robert Duncan McNeill (Star Trek: Voyager) guest star.
The first episode of the present-day science fiction series Probe airs on ABC. The pilot movie is written by Michael Wagner (Hill Street Blues) from a premise Wagner devised with famed SF author Isaac Asimov, a fact that figures heavily into promotion of the series. Parker Stevenson and Ashley Crow star.
With nearly all of its members voting in favor of a work stoppage, unionized Hollywood writers go on strike for five months, crippling the TV and movie industry. Several shows’ fall premieres are delayed significantly, and many television series and movies have to commence production on partially-finished scripts with no opportunities for rewrites (including Tim Burton’s Batman and the James Bond movie Licence To Kill). In the unusually long “off season,” attempts are made at reviving prime-time variety shows, and fledgeling network Fox rushes several “unscripted” series, including Cops and America’s Most Wanted, into production to fill the gap; these prove to be surprise hits, giving “reality” TV a permanent foothold on many network schedules. Many returning shows do not air new episodes until November or December, if they even generate new material before the end of 1988.
CBS airs the 20th episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Lane Smith (V) and Mare Winningham star in an episode comprised of two short stories, Profile In Silver and Button, Button, the latter of which is Richard Matheson’s adaptation of his own short story.
Upstart video game manufacturer Mythicon releases Sorcerer for the Atari 2600. One of only three games issued by Mythicon before it goes out of business, and considered one of the worst games ever made for the 2600, Sorcerer is designed to be sold at a low price point at drug stores and other retail venues not normally associated with video games.
The 551st episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1, continuing a trilogy of stories themed around the Doctor’s regeneration and the reintroduction of the Master. Janet Fielding joins the cast as new companion Tegan. Anthony Ainley guest stars as the Master.
NASA Administrator James Fletcher announces that the ambitious twin Mariner Jupiter/Saturn ’77 space probes, due to be launched later in the year, have been christened with new names: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The name change has been initiated by recently-promoted Voyager program manager John Casani, who thinks the spacecraft need a name that’s less of a mouthful (the name “Discoverer” was also considered). For the first time, NASA openly admits that one of the vehicles – Voyager 2 – may continue on to Uranus and Neptune should its Saturn flyby go well in 1981, depending on the spacecraft’s health.
The 57th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Lindsay Wagner guest stars in the third season finale.
ABC airs the 18th episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, based on Jeff Rice’s novel and the 1972 TV movie The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin. Hans Conreid guest stars.
The TV movie-of-the-week The Six Million Dollar Man airs on ABC, starring Lee Majors, Martin Balsam, and Darren McGavin. Based loosely on the 1972 novel “Cyborg” by Martin Caidin, this movie begins the story of bionic man Steve Austin on television, and proves to be popular with the TV audience. Two further movies will follow in 1973 before a long-running series begins in 1974.
The ninth episode of Larry Cohen’s science fiction series The Invaders, starring Roy Thinnes and produced by Quinn Martin’s QM Productions, premieres on ABC. James Whitmore (The Law And Mr. Jones) guest stars.
NBC airs the 23rd episode of the military drama The Lieutenant, created and produced by future Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and starring Gary Lockwood (2001: a space odyssey) and Robert Vaughn (The Man From UNCLE). Ricardo Montalban (Fantasy Island) guest stars.
The 16th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part three of the story now collectively known as Marco Polo. The entirety of this story has since been lost by the BBC archives.
The 23rd episode of ABC’s science fiction anthology series, Tales Of Tomorrow, airs on ABC, with each episode’s opening titles proclaiming that the series is produced “in cooperation with the Science-Fiction League of America”, a collective of sci-fi writers including Isaac Asimov and Theodore Sturgeon among its members. This episode, starring Nina Foch and Russell Hardie, is no longer in the archives and may be lost.
Continuing experimental photography from captured German V2 rockets, scientists and engineers at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range capture a view of Earth from space at an altitude of 100 miles. Though the V2 is capable only of ballistic suborbital flight, an automated camera on the rocket captures the curve of the Earth before falling back to the surface. As with earlier experimental unmanned flights in 1946, also using captured V2 rockets, the rocket and camera are destroyed upon impact with the ground.
Absolutely no generative AI was used in the creation of the content on this website. It’s mostly just some guy named Earl.
Fox airs the 22nd episode of the science fiction drama-comedy The Orville, starring and created by Seth McFarlane. Robin Atkin Downes (Babylon 5) and Norm MacDonald guest star. 
Streaming service CBS All Access releases the 23rd episode of Star Trek: Discovery. Melissa George (Roar, Alias, Heartbeat), Alan Van Sprang (Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments, The Tudors), and Ethan Peck (10 Things I Hate About You) guest star in an episode which hearkens back heavily to the original Star Trek series pilot, The Cage. 
The 215th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson.
After a long process of gaining sufficient approval to be budgeted for a design phase, NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft gets a name and a preliminary shape, but no completion date or launch window any more specific than “the 2020s”, likely putting it at Jupiter’s intriguing moon Europa in the early 2030s after a series of gravity assists. Europa Clipper is intended to closely survey Europa from orbit, attempting to focus on its icy surface and the saltwater ocean believed to be hidden beneath that surface.
The CW airs the 61st episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. 
The CW airs the 29th episode of Legends Of Tomorrow, starring Arthur Darvill, Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz and Victor Garber. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 171st Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Colin Baker and Bonnie Langford. 
ABC airs the 58th episode of the J.J. Abrams-produced series Lost. Mira Furlan (Babylon 5) and Andrew Divoff guest star. 
Big Finish Productions releases the first Gallifrey audio drama, a Doctor Who audio spinoff starring Lalla Ward and Louise Jameson. 
Actor Paul Winfield, perhaps best known for his portrayal of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the 1978 TV miniseries King, dies of a heart attack at the age of 62. In genre circles, Mr. Winfield won praise for his portrayal of Captain Terrell of the Reliant in Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan and as General Richard Franklin in the GROPOs episode of Babylon 5, but perhaps his best genre outing was in a 1991 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Darmok. He received Emmy nominations for his work in King and Roots: The Next Generation, as well as an Oscar nomination for Sounder; he finally took home an Emmy for a guest role on Picket Fences in 1995.
The 129th episode of Stargate SG-1 airs on the Sci-Fi Channel, starring Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, and Corin Nemec.
UPN airs the 163rd episode of Star Trek: Voyager. 
The fourth episode of the science fiction comedy series The Strangerers is broadcast on Sky One, created and written by Rob Grant (Red Dwarf), starring Mark Williams and Jack Docherty.
The 44th episode of the science fiction comedy Red Dwarf airs on BBC 2. Norman Lovett makes his first appearance as Holly since season two. Also making its appearance for the first time since the fifth season – despite the fact that the show is named after it – is Red Dwarf itself. This ends the series’ seventh season. 
Fox airs the 40th episode of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, Cleavant Derricks, and Kari Wuhrer. Jay Acovone (Stargate SG-1) guest stars.
Showtime airs the 52nd episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) guest stars.
Mercury Records releases the 10cc compilation album The Very Best Of 10cc. 
After decades of the tiny object being seen only as a point of light in even the best telescopic images, the Hubble Space Telescope makes the first survey of the surface of Pluto. Even without the distortion introduced by Earth’s atmosphere, Hubble’s best shots of Pluto are vague due to the distance from Earth to Pluto, but they mark the first time that even blurry surface detail has been seen. The new images help NASA gain support for a Pluto flyby mission in the 21st century, which will eventually be named New Horizons.
The 22nd episode of the science fiction comedy Red Dwarf airs on BBC 2. David Ross, the original actor behind the mask of Kryten, returns as the voice of Talkie Toaster. 
NBC airs the 25th episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Marcia Cross (Melrose Place, Desperate Housewives) and Robert Duncan McNeill (Star Trek: Voyager) guest star.
The fourth episode of the science fiction comedy Red Dwarf airs on BBC 2. 
The 44th episode of ALF airs on NBC, centering around Paul Fusco’s puppet creation of a furry, wisecracking alien marooned on Earth. 
The first episode of the present-day science fiction series Probe airs on ABC. The pilot movie is written by Michael Wagner (Hill Street Blues) from a premise Wagner devised with famed SF author Isaac Asimov, a fact that figures heavily into promotion of the series. Parker Stevenson and Ashley Crow star. 
With nearly all of its members voting in favor of a work stoppage, unionized Hollywood writers go on strike for five months, crippling the TV and movie industry. Several shows’ fall premieres are delayed significantly, and many television series and movies have to commence production on partially-finished scripts with no opportunities for rewrites (including Tim Burton’s Batman and the James Bond movie Licence To Kill). In the unusually long “off season,” attempts are made at reviving prime-time variety shows, and fledgeling network Fox rushes several “unscripted” series, including Cops and America’s Most Wanted, into production to fill the gap; these prove to be surprise hits, giving “reality” TV a permanent foothold on many network schedules. Many returning shows do not air new episodes until November or December, if they even generate new material before the end of 1988.
CBS airs the 20th episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone. Lane Smith (V) and Mare Winningham star in an episode comprised of two short stories, Profile In Silver and Button, Button, the latter of which is Richard Matheson’s adaptation of his own short story.
Upstart video game manufacturer Mythicon releases Sorcerer for the Atari 2600. One of only three games issued by Mythicon before it goes out of business, and considered one of the worst games ever made for the 2600, Sorcerer is designed to be sold at a low price point at drug stores and other retail venues not normally associated with video games. 
Mythicon releases Fire Fly for the Atari 2600 home video game, one of the company’s quickly-developed line of discount game cartridges for that system. 
The 551st episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1, continuing a trilogy of stories themed around the Doctor’s regeneration and the reintroduction of the Master. Janet Fielding joins the cast as new companion Tegan. Anthony Ainley guest stars as the Master.
NASA Administrator James Fletcher announces that the ambitious twin Mariner Jupiter/Saturn ’77 space probes, due to be launched later in the year, have been christened with new names: Voyager 1 and Voyager 2. The name change has been initiated by recently-promoted Voyager program manager John Casani, who thinks the spacecraft need a name that’s less of a mouthful (the name “Discoverer” was also considered). For the first time, NASA openly admits that one of the vehicles – Voyager 2 – may continue on to Uranus and Neptune should its Saturn flyby go well in 1981, depending on the spacecraft’s health.
The 57th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Lindsay Wagner guest stars in the third season finale.
ABC airs the 18th episode of Kolchak: The Night Stalker, based on Jeff Rice’s novel and the 1972 TV movie The Night Stalker, starring Darren McGavin. Hans Conreid guest stars. 
The TV movie-of-the-week The Six Million Dollar Man airs on ABC, starring Lee Majors, Martin Balsam, and Darren McGavin. Based loosely on the 1972 novel “Cyborg” by Martin Caidin, this movie begins the story of bionic man Steve Austin on television, and proves to be popular with the TV audience. Two further movies will follow in 1973 before a long-running series begins in 1974. 
The 263rd episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. Paul Darrow (Blake’s 7) and Peter Miles guest star. This is the first story to feature the Silurians.
The 77th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s science fiction series Star Trek airs on NBC. Lee Bergere and Barry Atwater guest star. This episode features the last Klingon seen in the original television series. 
The ninth episode of Larry Cohen’s science fiction series The Invaders, starring Roy Thinnes and produced by Quinn Martin’s QM Productions, premieres on ABC. James Whitmore (The Law And Mr. Jones) guest stars.
NBC airs the 23rd episode of the military drama The Lieutenant, created and produced by future Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and starring Gary Lockwood (2001: a space odyssey) and Robert Vaughn (The Man From UNCLE). Ricardo Montalban (Fantasy Island) guest stars. 
The 16th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part three of the story now collectively known as Marco Polo. The entirety of this story has since been lost by the BBC archives.
British broadcaster ABC airs the 76th episode of the spy-fi series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman. 
The 112th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Dana Andrews and Patricia Breslin star in an episode written by Serling.
ABC airs the 84th episode of the supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland.
The 23rd episode of ABC’s science fiction anthology series, Tales Of Tomorrow, airs on ABC, with each episode’s opening titles proclaiming that the series is produced “in cooperation with the Science-Fiction League of America”, a collective of sci-fi writers including Isaac Asimov and Theodore Sturgeon among its members. This episode, starring Nina Foch and Russell Hardie, is no longer in the archives and may be lost.
Continuing experimental photography from captured German V2 rockets, scientists and engineers at the U.S. Army’s White Sands Missile Range capture a view of Earth from space at an altitude of 100 miles. Though the V2 is capable only of ballistic suborbital flight, an automated camera on the rocket captures the curve of the Earth before falling back to the surface. As with earlier experimental unmanned flights in 1946, also using captured V2 rockets, the rocket and camera are destroyed upon impact with the ground.