What tomorrow looked like yesterday

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 always looks to the future.

Created & curated by Earl Green


Latest Podcasts

Gene-ology 67 – Watching Wrangler Gene-ology: A Roddenberry Podcast

Welcome to Gene-ology, a podcast by Roddenberry Entertainment that dives deep into the early TV writing works of Gene Roddenberry. We've read all the Wrangler scripts, considered all the stories – the only thing left to do was for Ashley and Mission Log: Prodigy's Charlynn Schmiedt to visit the UCLA Library and watch the seven produced episodes for themselves.  Even the pilot.  What they found was still surprising. Hosted by Ashley Thomas, Charlynn Schmiedt & Earl Green 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 Wrangler. 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.
  1. Gene-ology 67 – Watching Wrangler
  2. Gene-ology 66 – Incident of the Magic Elixir
  3. Gene-ology 65 – A Crisis Named Wavelin
  4. Gene-ology 64 – Encounter At Elephant Butte
  5. Gene-ology 63 – Incident At The Wide Loop

Retrogram #7718: B.S.W. Retrogram – theLogBook.com

The week of May 2, 1977: Before the Dark Times, before the Empire – well, approximately three weeks before the Dark Times and before the Empire – television sci-fi is just doing its thing on both sides of the Atlantic, unaware that audience expectations are about to change drastically. Retrogram examines five shows that were on the air during one of the last few weeks before a little movie called Star Wars took the world by storm. (1:06:06) Right-click here and “save as” to download the podcast – trust me, it sounds better this way than it does on 8-track. Links: Feel free to help support the show at Patreon or Ko-Fi! November 1983 in theLogBook’s History Timeline Special thanks to Ashley Thomas – The Nerdy Blogger (and all of our other Patreon supporters) Support Retrogram by purchasing through links and search boxes in theLogBook.com Store. The #1 song of that week… Music (in order): “Great Dark Spot” by Jahzzar (betterwithmusic.com) CC BY-SA “O Crebro do Morto” by Dr. Frankenstein (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA “Queen” by Soft and Furious (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA (break music) “League Of Mice” by Dee Zee (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA “Nine Stones” by Andrew Howes (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA “Theme from Man From Atlantis” by Fred Karlin “AVV Revisited” by Hermelin (freemusicarchive.org) CC BY-SA
  1. Retrogram #7718: B.S.W.
  2. Retrogram #9060: What Did You Do During The Syndication Wars?
  3. Retrogram #8347: The Day After The Day Of The Doctor
  4. Retrogram #7152: 72 @ 50, Part 1
  5. Retrogram #2214: The Little Black Bags

Latest Reviews


It happened on this date…

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Published On: April 3, 2010

Doctor WhoThe 759th episode of Doctor Who (the 61st since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. This is the first full episode to feature Matt Smith as the eleventh Doctor, and introduces Karen Gillan as new companion Amy Pond (and Steven Moffat as the series’ showrunner). Arthur Darvill makes his first appearance as Rory; astronomer Sir Patrick Moore guest stars as himself.

More about Doctor Who in the LogBook
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Published On: April 3, 2008

Space: 1999Space: 1999 and Doctor Who scriptwriter Johnny Byrne dies at the age of 73. One of the most prolific Space: 1999 scribes, he helped to guide that show’s creative direction as the show’s script editor and later collaborated with fan filmmakers on a short, Message From Moonbase Alpha, wrapping the show up and leaving things open to further explore the story with new characters. He also had a literary SF career stretching back into the 1960s, as well as writing the screenplays for several British-produced films.

Published On: April 3, 1998

The Outer LimitsShowtime airs the 72nd episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Maria Conchita Alonso guest stars.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.

Published On: April 3, 1993

Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesThe 14th episode of George Lucas’ historical adventure series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles airs on ABC, starring Sean Patrick Flanery. Anne Heche (Wag The Dog), Jeffrey Wright (Westworld), and Robert Trebor (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys) guest star.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.

Published On: April 3, 1992

Nightmare CafeNBC airs the sixth episode of Wes Craven’s Nightmare Cafe, starring Robert Englund (V, A Nightmare On Elm Street), Jack Coleman (Heroes), and Lindsay Frost (Mancuso, FBI). Bobby Slayton, Kevin Thompson, and Don S. Davis (Stargate SG-1) guest star. NBC cancels the series, freeing Craven and Englund up to resume their usual nightmares.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.

Published On: April 3, 1991

Love & Curses / She-Wolf Of LondonThe 19th episode of Love & Curses (formerly titled She-Wolf Of London) is broadcast in syndication in North America, starring Kate Hodge and Neil Dickson.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.

Published On: April 3, 1991

Quantum LeapNBC airs the 46th episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. David Graf (Police Academy) guest stars.

This series is not yet fully chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.

Published On: April 3, 1989

Neptune's Great Dark SpotImages transmitted to Earth by NASA’s unmanned Voyager 2 spacecraft, from a distance of 129,000,000 miles, reveal a consistent feature in Neptune’s atmosphere, an oval-shaped storm system near the Neptunian equator very similar in size and position to the Great Red Spot on Jupiter. This storm, quickly nicknamed the Great Dark Spot, allows Voyager scientists to estimate Neptune’s rotational period much earlier than expected. At the distance between Voyager 2 and Neptune, the smallest features on the planet that can be seen are at least 2,400 miles across, meaning the newly detected storm system is gigantic.

Published On: April 3, 1984

Soyuz T-11The Soviet Union launches Soyuz T-11 en route to space station Salyut 7. Spending nearly eight days in orbit, cosmonauts Yuri Malyshev, Gennady Strekalov and the first space traveler from India, Rakesh Sharma, perform experiments aboard the station as well as bringing supplies. They return to Earth on April 11th aboard the station crew’s Soyuz T-10 capsule, leaving the newer Soyuz T-11 docked at Salyut 7 for the station crew’s use.

Published On: April 3, 1981

Osborne IThe Osborne One portable computer is given its public debut at the West Coast Computer Faire in San Francisco. Despite being billed as “portable”, the computer is huge – packing 5¼” floppy disk drives and a tiny CRT monitor and a full-sized keyboard into a suitcase-sized enclosure, it weighs at least 30 pounds. The Osborne I’s native operating system is CP/M.

Published On: April 3, 1979

Blake's 7BBC1 premieres the 26th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7. This season-ending episode concludes the story arc concerning Blake’s search for the Federation’s central control facility, and sees the exit of some of the show’s regulars, inclduing Jenna Knyvette (Jenna), Brian Croucher (Travis) and even Gareth Thomas (Blake).

More about Blake’s 7 in the LogBook and theLogBook.com Store
Blake’s 7 now streaming on Britbox

Published On: April 3, 1978

The Next Step BeyondThe week-long syndication window opens for the 14th episode of The Next Step Beyond, a revival of the 1950s/60s supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland.

This series is not yet chronicled in the LogBook. You could help change that.

Published On: April 3, 1973

Salyut 2The Soviet Union launches a second space station, and the first station designed exclusively for military tasks in orbit. Salyut 2 is the first station to use the Almaz military space station design devised in the 1960s as a response to the US Air Force’s never-flown Manned Orbiting Laboratory. Within two weeks, however, technical difficulties take their toll: Salyut 2 begins to tumble out of control, and its crew compartment depressurizes. (The redesigned Soyuz vehicle is not ready to fly yet, so no crew ever visits Salyut 2.) The second Soviet space station burns up in the atmosphere less than two months after launch.

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