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.
The ongoing remodel of the site, the ongoing video series, and more are powered by your support! Join our Patreon, get access to our Discord, and help the site grow!
Welcome to Gene-ology, a podcast by Roddenberry Entertainment that dives deep into the early TV writing works of Gene Roddenberry. Gene Roddenberry wrote more episodes of Have Gun – Will Travel than the people who created the show, and his streak ends here, just weeks away from the end of the show. Paladin knows quite a bit about art, and he knows what he likes, but does he like settling an old grudge between "The Savages"? 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 Have Gun – Will Travel. 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. 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 debuts the second episode of Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Alison Pill. Ann Magnuson and Tamlyn Tomita (Babylon 5) guest star.
The CW airs the 80th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) and pro wrestler Bill Goldberg guest star.
The 12th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Seth Gabel (Fringe, Salem) guest stars.
UPN broadcasts the 16th episode of the supernatural crime comedy series Special Unit 2, starring Michael Landes (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman) and Alexondra Lee (Party Of Five). Jonathan Togo (CSI: Miami) guest stars.
Word leaks onto the internet that TNT, the network that salvaged Babylon 5 from syndication, has decided to cut its losses on the Babylon 5 spinoff Crusade and cancel the show before even a single episode has aired. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski confirms that production has halted as Warner Bros.’ television executives are shopping the show around to new venues, with a strong hint that the Sci-Fi Channel could be a likely new home for the show. TNT will air the 13 produced episodes later in 1999.
Showtime airs the 63rd episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Doug Savant (Melrose Place, Desperate Housewives) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 58th episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest) and Lark Voorhies (Saved By The Bell) guest star in an episode that sees the exit of the recurring character of Vedek Bareil.
The week-long American syndication window opens for the 11th episode of Gerry Anderson’s sci-fi police series Space Precinct. Suzanne Bertish (Rome) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the tenth episode of Friday the 13th: The Series, starring John D. LeMay, Wendy Robie and Chris Wiggins. Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian) and David Hewlett (Stargate Atlantis) guest star.
The fourth episode of Chocky airs on Thames Television, adapting the novels of John Wyndham into a television serial starring Andrew Ellams and James Hazeldine.
The 95th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Jared Martin (The Fantastic Journey, War Of The Worlds) guest stars in a special two-hour episode.
The week-long syndication window opens for the fifth episode of The Next Step Beyond, a revival of the 1950s/60s supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland. Meredith MacRae (Petticoat Junction) guest stars.
With an incredibly tight lead time (rights were secured some weeks afterStar Wars became a box-office hit), General Mills subsidiary Kenner Toys brings the first Star Wars action figures to market. A dozen characters are sold individually, with a colorful mixture of the film’s heroes (Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Ben Kenobi, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca) and villains (Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, Death Squad Commander, Tusken Raider, Jawa). While Kenner brings the figures to market in both the industry-standard 12-inch scale and a smaller, cheaper 3 3/4″ scale, marketing focuses almost entirely on the smaller toys, which then redefine the industry-standard size of boys’ character toys (and make any future vehicles and playsets much more affordable). Ironically, prior to the movie’s release when no one expected Star Wars to take off, 20th Century Fox surrendered all toy and merchandising rights to George Lucas, meaning that the runaway success of the toy range is key to his fortune.
The 73rd episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Charles Aidman and Heather Menzies (Logan’s Run) guest star.
Fawcett publishes the novel Phoenix Without Ashes by Edward Bryant, based upon the original premise of the short-lived early ’70s Canadian television series The Starlost, created by Harlan Ellison; Ellison himself expounds on the trials and tribulations of making that show in an extended foreword.
The 37th episode of Larry Cohen’s science fiction series The Invaders, starring Roy Thinnes and produced by Quinn Martin’s QM Productions, is broadcast on ABC. J.D. Cannon guest stars.
The 51st episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Robert Loggia guest stars.
NASA launches the Ranger 6 lunar probe, built by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and intended to go directly to the moon, transmitting pictures of the surface back to Earth until it impacts the lunar surface. After a year of fundamentally redesigning the Ranger vehicle, and dropping nearly all scientific experiments on board other than the television cameras (to the dismay of the scientific community), Ranger 6 is an attempt to redeem the troubled unmanned lunar program, and it hits the moon on schedule, but a power failure has fried its cameras prior to activation. NASA launches another internal investigation, with the entire Ranger program now on the line (and highly visible, since it has been made part of the preparation for crewed Apollo lunar flights). A Congressional inquiry follows, with a very clear implication that another failed Ranger flight could have far-reaching consequences for NASA and JPL.
The 67th episode of the science fiction anthology series Tales Of Tomorrow airs on ABC. Much of the second season is missing, including this episode, which starred Richard Kiley.
Streaming service CBS All Access debuts the second episode of Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, and Alison Pill. Ann Magnuson and Tamlyn Tomita (Babylon 5) guest star. 
The CW airs the 80th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. Katee Sackhoff (Battlestar Galactica) and pro wrestler Bill Goldberg guest star. 
The 12th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Seth Gabel (Fringe, Salem) guest stars.
Big Finish Productions releases the 130th Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Sylvester McCoy and Tracey Childs. 
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 66th episode of Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) guest stars in an episode the resumes the long-delayed fourth season. 
Cartoon Network airs the 15th episode of the animated series Star Wars: The Clone Wars. 
BBC2 airs the 16th episode of Russell T. Davies’ science fiction series Torchwood, a more adult-themed spinoff of Doctor Who. 
Big Finish Productions releases the third Doctor Who audio drama in its Companion Chronicles range (short stories performed audiobook style with one or two actors). Caroline John and Nicholas Briggs star. 
Big Finish Productions releases the second Doctor Who audio drama in its Companion Chronicles range (short stories performed audiobook style with one or two actors). Wendy Padbury and Nicholas Briggs star. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 91st Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton. David Warner guest stars. 
Astralwerks releases the Röyksopp live album Röyksopp’s Night Out. 
The 146th episode of Stargate SG-1 airs on the Sci-Fi Channel, starring Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, and Christopher Judge.
The 13th episode of the Star Trek prequel spinoff Enterprise premieres on UPN. 
UPN broadcasts the 16th episode of the supernatural crime comedy series Special Unit 2, starring Michael Landes (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman) and Alexondra Lee (Party Of Five). Jonathan Togo (CSI: Miami) guest stars.
Word leaks onto the internet that TNT, the network that salvaged Babylon 5 from syndication, has decided to cut its losses on the Babylon 5 spinoff Crusade and cancel the show before even a single episode has aired. Series creator J. Michael Straczynski confirms that production has halted as Warner Bros.’ television executives are shopping the show around to new venues, with a strong hint that the Sci-Fi Channel could be a likely new home for the show. TNT will air the 13 produced episodes later in 1999.
Pay cable channel Showtime premieres the 16th episode of Stargate SG-1. Tom McBeath guest stars as Colonel Maybourne. 
Showtime airs the 63rd episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Doug Savant (Melrose Place, Desperate Housewives) guest stars.
Jake Kasdan’s debut film Zero EFfect is released, starring Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller. 
Legacy Records releases the album Contraband: The Best of Men At Work, gathering highlights of the 1980s Australian band’s career. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 58th episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest) and Lark Voorhies (Saved By The Bell) guest star in an episode that sees the exit of the recurring character of Vedek Bareil. 
UPN airs the third episode of Star Trek: Voyager. 
The week-long American syndication window opens for the 11th episode of Gerry Anderson’s sci-fi police series Space Precinct. Suzanne Bertish (Rome) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 32nd episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the tenth episode of Friday the 13th: The Series, starring John D. LeMay, Wendy Robie and Chris Wiggins. Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian) and David Hewlett (Stargate Atlantis) guest star. 
The fourth episode of Chocky airs on Thames Television, adapting the novels of John Wyndham into a television serial starring Andrew Ellams and James Hazeldine. 
BBC1 premieres the 17th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7. William Squire guest stars. 
BBC1 premieres the fifth episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7. Richard Beale guest stars. 
The 95th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Jared Martin (The Fantastic Journey, War Of The Worlds) guest stars in a special two-hour episode.
The week-long syndication window opens for the fifth episode of The Next Step Beyond, a revival of the 1950s/60s supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland. Meredith MacRae (Petticoat Junction) guest stars.
With an incredibly tight lead time (rights were secured some weeks after Star Wars became a box-office hit), General Mills subsidiary Kenner Toys brings the first Star Wars action figures to market. A dozen characters are sold individually, with a colorful mixture of the film’s heroes (Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Ben Kenobi, R2-D2, C-3PO, Chewbacca) and villains (Darth Vader, Stormtrooper, Death Squad Commander, Tusken Raider, Jawa). While Kenner brings the figures to market in both the industry-standard 12-inch scale and a smaller, cheaper 3 3/4″ scale, marketing focuses almost entirely on the smaller toys, which then redefine the industry-standard size of boys’ character toys (and make any future vehicles and playsets much more affordable). Ironically, prior to the movie’s release when no one expected Star Wars to take off, 20th Century Fox surrendered all toy and merchandising rights to George Lucas, meaning that the runaway success of the toy range is key to his fortune. 
Fawcett publishes the novel Phoenix Without Ashes by Edward Bryant, based upon the original premise of the short-lived early ’70s Canadian television series The Starlost, created by Harlan Ellison; Ellison himself expounds on the trials and tribulations of making that show in an extended foreword. 
The 283rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Roger Delgado appears again as the Master. Michael Sheard guest stars. 
The 37th episode of Larry Cohen’s science fiction series The Invaders, starring Roy Thinnes and produced by Quinn Martin’s QM Productions, is broadcast on ABC. J.D. Cannon guest stars.
The 51st episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Robert Loggia guest stars.
The 56th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part three of the story now collectively known as The Romans.
NASA launches the Ranger 6 lunar probe, built by Jet Propulsion Laboratory and intended to go directly to the moon, transmitting pictures of the surface back to Earth until it impacts the lunar surface. After a year of fundamentally redesigning the Ranger vehicle, and dropping nearly all scientific experiments on board other than the television cameras (to the dismay of the scientific community), Ranger 6 is an attempt to redeem the troubled unmanned lunar program, and it hits the moon on schedule, but a power failure has fried its cameras prior to activation. NASA launches another internal investigation, with the entire Ranger program now on the line (and highly visible, since it has been made part of the preparation for crewed Apollo lunar flights). A Congressional inquiry follows, with a very clear implication that another failed Ranger flight could have far-reaching consequences for NASA and JPL.
The 46th episode of The Adventures Of Superman airs in syndication, starring George Reeves, Noel Neill, and Jack Larson. William Forrest guest stars.
The 67th episode of the science fiction anthology series Tales Of Tomorrow airs on ABC. Much of the second season is missing, including this episode, which starred Richard Kiley.