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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.
Telos Publishing releases To Everything That Might Have Been: The Lost Universe Of Space: 1999, a non-fiction book by David Hirsch (Starlog Magazine) and Robert E. Wood, incorporating material by Christopher Penfold, about the Gerry Anderson-produced 1970s sci-fi TV series.
Cable channel Disney XD premieres the 32nd episode of the series Star Wars: Rebels, a CGI animated storyline falling between the original and prequel trilogies of the Star Wars saga. Gina Torres (Firefly, Cleopatra 2525) guest stars.
Varese Sarabande releases a CD containing Elmer Bernstein‘s complete soundtrack from the movie Ghostbusters. Though an album was released with the movie in 1984, it consisted mostly of songs; this marks the first issue of Bernstein’s score, including pieces of music left out of the movie. The limited edition of 3,000 copies sells out quickly.
The 51st episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. Anthony Stewart Head, David Boreanaz, and Alyson Hannigan also star. Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) and Alexis Denisof (Angel) guest star.
Canadian broadcaster CHCH-TV airs the tenth episode of Art Monterastelli’s sci-fi series Total Recall 2070, starring Michael Easton and Cynthia Preston, very loosely based on the 1990 film Total Recall. The series will air on the American pay cable channel Showtime later in the year. David Warner (Time Bandits, Tron) guest stars.
The 90th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Joe Spano guest stars.
The 81st episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Krstanna Loken (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines) and Dwight Schultz (The A-Team) guest star.
ABC airs the fourth episode of Hypernauts, created by Christy Marx (Jem) and Ron Thornton (the visual effects artist behind the CGI of Babylon 5), and starring Marc Daniel (Fast Track) and Carrie Dobro (Crusade). Richard Speight Jr. (Supernatural, Jericho) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the eighth episode of Babylon 5. Christopher Neame (Doctor Who, Blake’s 7) and Judson Scott (The Phoenix, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan) guest star in a major “arc” episode that makes major revelations about the series’ intricate storyline.
The 21st episode of the science fiction crime drama Super Force is broadcast in syndication in North America, starring Ken Olandt, Larry B. Scott, and Patrick Macnee (The Avengers). Julie Michaels (Road House) guest stars.
The eighth episode of Richard Carpenter’s fanciful retelling of the Robin Hood legend, Robin Of Sherwood, airs on ITV, starring Michael Praed, Mark Ryan, Judi Trott, and Nickolas Grace. David de Keyser (Yentl) guest stars.
The 624th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Robert Glenister (Life On Mars), Maurice Roeves (The Nightmare Man) and Christopher Gable guest star. Peter Davison makes his exit at the fifth Doctor in this story, with the new Doctor, Colin Baker, given a brief scene at the end of the episode.
The 601st episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Anthony Ainley guest stars as the Master, and the episode introduces a robotic companion intended to be portrayed by a real robot, Kamelion. Kamelion’s designer dies prior to production, however, leaving minimal documentation for the robot’s operation; Kamelion’s further appearances are written out of the show and the robot only makes one further appearance. This brings Doctor Who’s 20th season to a close; the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, airs later in the year as a stand-alone with a budget and production schedule separate from the rest of the season’s episodes.
Segaa releases the arcade game Astron Belt in American arcades. The first game to go into development specifically as a laser videodisc game, Astron Belt is a minor hit but it overshadowed by the Disney-esque visuals of another laserdisc coin-op, Dragon’s Lair.
The 575th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the first Cyberman story since 1975’s Revenge Of The Cybermen, and the first story since 1966 to depict the death of one of the Doctor’s traveling companions.
Sega introduces the cult classic arcade game Zaxxon, significantly raising the bar for arcade graphics with its three-quarter isometric 3-D view (and making it nearly impossible to translate faithfully to home video game consoles of the era). Though this new perspective doesn’t make Zaxxon easy to play, it becomes one of the first video games that players line up just to look at.
The 29th episode of the live-action series based on Marvel’s comic The Incredible Hulk airs on CBS, starring Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, and Lou Ferrigno. Rick Springfield (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars.
The 33rd episode of The Bionic Woman, starring Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, airs on ABC. Rene Auberjonois (Benson, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest stars.
The 32nd episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Lindsay Wagner and Malachi Throne guest star.
The NASA/JPL probe to the inner planets, Mariner 10, makes its last flyby of Mercury, zipping over the planet’s north pole at an altitude of just over 200 miles, and taking the last close-up pictures of Mercury until the Messenger space probe in 2008. Just over a week after its final Mercury encounter, Mariner 10 runs out of fuel and is instructed to shut down. The next Mariner probes, Mariners 11 and 12, are slated to venture toward the outer solar system, and eventually undergo a name change, becoming Voyagers 1 and 2 – making Mariner 10 the last of the Mariner space probes.
ABC airs the 22nd episode of Irwin Allen’s sci-fi series Land Of The Giants, starring Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Deanna Lund, and Don Marshall. Jack Albertson guest stars.
The 198th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This story sees the departure of Deborah Watling as the Doctor’s companion, Victoria Waterfield. This episode is now missing from the BBC’s archives.
Gemini 8, carrying David Scott and Neil Armstrong, lifts off on a mission to fulfill the Agena booster rendezvous and docking goal originally assigned to Gemini 6. After docking with the Agena vehicle a few hours into the flight, Gemini 8 begins an unplanned, uncontrolled roll, and the crew initially believe it to be an issue with the Agena. But after undocking from the Agena, the Gemini capsule spins even faster out of control until Armstrong, using maneuvering thrusters reserved for reentry, cancels out the roll. Mission rules require an immediate return to Earth, and the astronauts splash down safely, barely 11 hours after liftoff.
The 19th episode of Batman airs on ABC. Julie Newmar guest stars as Catwoman. (This is part one of a two-part story; each week’s story unfolds in two half-hour episodes on Monday and Tuesday.)
The CW airs the 157th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. 
Telos Publishing releases To Everything That Might Have Been: The Lost Universe Of Space: 1999, a non-fiction book by David Hirsch (Starlog Magazine) and Robert E. Wood, incorporating material by Christopher Penfold, about the Gerry Anderson-produced 1970s sci-fi TV series. 
The CW airs the fourth episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Jordan Elsass, and Alex Garfin.
Cable channel Disney XD premieres the 32nd episode of the series Star Wars: Rebels, a CGI animated storyline falling between the original and prequel trilogies of the Star Wars saga. Gina Torres (Firefly, Cleopatra 2525) guest stars. 
Varese Sarabande releases a CD containing Elmer Bernstein‘s complete soundtrack from the movie Ghostbusters. Though an album was released with the movie in 1984, it consisted mostly of songs; this marks the first issue of Bernstein’s score, including pieces of music left out of the movie. The limited edition of 3,000 copies sells out quickly. 
Dark Horse Comics publishes the third trade paperback collection of its Star Wars: Clone Wars comics, Last Stand on Jabiim. 
Sci-Fi Channel premieres the 45th episode of Farscape. This is the third season premiere. 
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 129th episode of The Outer Limits. Tom Arnold and Catherine Mary Stewart guest star in the seventh season premiere.
EMI Records releases Neil Finn‘s second solo album, One Nil, featuring the single “Rest Of The Day Off”. 
The 51st episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. Anthony Stewart Head, David Boreanaz, and Alyson Hannigan also star. Eliza Dushku (Dollhouse) and Alexis Denisof (Angel) guest star.
Canadian broadcaster CHCH-TV airs the tenth episode of Art Monterastelli’s sci-fi series Total Recall 2070, starring Michael Easton and Cynthia Preston, very loosely based on the 1990 film Total Recall. The series will air on the American pay cable channel Showtime later in the year. David Warner (Time Bandits, Tron) guest stars.
The 90th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Joe Spano guest stars.
The 81st episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Krstanna Loken (Terminator 3: Rise Of The Machines) and Dwight Schultz (The A-Team) guest star.
ABC airs the fourth episode of Hypernauts, created by Christy Marx (Jem) and Ron Thornton (the visual effects artist behind the CGI of Babylon 5), and starring Marc Daniel (Fast Track) and Carrie Dobro (Crusade). Richard Speight Jr. (Supernatural, Jericho) guest stars.
Virgin Publishing releases the 36th book in the Doctor Who: The New Adventures range, Infinite Requiem by Daniel Blythe. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the eighth episode of Babylon 5. Christopher Neame (Doctor Who, Blake’s 7) and Judson Scott (The Phoenix, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan) guest star in a major “arc” episode that makes major revelations about the series’ intricate storyline. 
NBC airs the 92nd episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 116th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 
The 21st episode of the science fiction crime drama Super Force is broadcast in syndication in North America, starring Ken Olandt, Larry B. Scott, and Patrick Macnee (The Avengers). Julie Michaels (Road House) guest stars.
The 639th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Paul Darrow (Blake’s 7) and Dennis Carey guest star.
The eighth episode of Richard Carpenter’s fanciful retelling of the Robin Hood legend, Robin Of Sherwood, airs on ITV, starring Michael Praed, Mark Ryan, Judi Trott, and Nickolas Grace. David de Keyser (Yentl) guest stars.
The 624th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Robert Glenister (Life On Mars), Maurice Roeves (The Nightmare Man) and Christopher Gable guest star. Peter Davison makes his exit at the fifth Doctor in this story, with the new Doctor, Colin Baker, given a brief scene at the end of the episode.
The 601st episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Anthony Ainley guest stars as the Master, and the episode introduces a robotic companion intended to be portrayed by a real robot, Kamelion. Kamelion’s designer dies prior to production, however, leaving minimal documentation for the robot’s operation; Kamelion’s further appearances are written out of the show and the robot only makes one further appearance. This brings Doctor Who’s 20th season to a close; the 20th anniversary special, The Five Doctors, airs later in the year as a stand-alone with a budget and production schedule separate from the rest of the season’s episodes. 
Segaa releases the arcade game Astron Belt in American arcades. The first game to go into development specifically as a laser videodisc game, Astron Belt is a minor hit but it overshadowed by the Disney-esque visuals of another laserdisc coin-op, Dragon’s Lair. 
The 575th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the first Cyberman story since 1975’s Revenge Of The Cybermen, and the first story since 1966 to depict the death of one of the Doctor’s traveling companions.
Sega introduces the cult classic arcade game Zaxxon, significantly raising the bar for arcade graphics with its three-quarter isometric 3-D view (and making it nearly impossible to translate faithfully to home video game consoles of the era). Though this new perspective doesn’t make Zaxxon easy to play, it becomes one of the first video games that players line up just to look at. 
The fourth episode of a vastly retooled Battlestar Galactica (or, depending on how you look at it, the show’s 25th episode) premieres on ABC. 
The 29th episode of the live-action series based on Marvel’s comic The Incredible Hulk airs on CBS, starring Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, and Lou Ferrigno. Rick Springfield (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars.
Toho releases the 14th Godzilla movie, Godzilla Vs. MechaGodzilla. 
The 33rd episode of The Bionic Woman, starring Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, airs on ABC. Rene Auberjonois (Benson, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest stars.
The 32nd episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Lindsay Wagner and Malachi Throne guest star.
The NASA/JPL probe to the inner planets, Mariner 10, makes its last flyby of Mercury, zipping over the planet’s north pole at an altitude of just over 200 miles, and taking the last close-up pictures of Mercury until the Messenger space probe in 2008. Just over a week after its final Mercury encounter, Mariner 10 runs out of fuel and is instructed to shut down. The next Mariner probes, Mariners 11 and 12, are slated to venture toward the outer solar system, and eventually undergo a name change, becoming Voyagers 1 and 2 – making Mariner 10 the last of the Mariner space probes.
The 369th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. John Abineri guest stars. This story is the third Doctor’s third and final clash with the Daleks. 
BBC1 airs the sixth episode of the science fiction series Doomwatch, created by former Doctor Who writers Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis. 
ABC airs the 22nd episode of Irwin Allen’s sci-fi series Land Of The Giants, starring Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Deanna Lund, and Don Marshall. Jack Albertson guest stars.
The 198th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This story sees the departure of Deborah Watling as the Doctor’s companion, Victoria Waterfield. This episode is now missing from the BBC’s archives. 
Gemini 8, carrying David Scott and Neil Armstrong, lifts off on a mission to fulfill the Agena booster rendezvous and docking goal originally assigned to Gemini 6. After docking with the Agena vehicle a few hours into the flight, Gemini 8 begins an unplanned, uncontrolled roll, and the crew initially believe it to be an issue with the Agena. But after undocking from the Agena, the Gemini capsule spins even faster out of control until Armstrong, using maneuvering thrusters reserved for reentry, cancels out the roll. Mission rules require an immediate return to Earth, and the astronauts splash down safely, barely 11 hours after liftoff.
The 24th episode of Irwin Allen’s science fiction series Lost In Space premieres on CBS, starring Guy Williams, June Lockhart, and Jonathan Harris.
The 19th episode of Batman airs on ABC. Julie Newmar guest stars as Catwoman. (This is part one of a two-part story; each week’s story unfolds in two half-hour episodes on Monday and Tuesday.) 
ABC airs the 25th episode of Leslie Stevens’ anthology series The Outer Limits. Larry Pennell and Warren Oates star.
British broadcaster ABC airs the 51st episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman.
The 91st episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Sarah Marshall and Robert Sampson star.
The 23rd episode of the science fiction drama series Men Into Space airs on CBS, starring William Lundigan.