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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. It features Lee Marvin in front of a high-tech viewscreen, but this is no starship – Gene-ology opens its investigation into a very unusual foray into "true crime" with Gene Roddenberry adapting the particulars of a notorious Seattle murder case into dramatic form. It's also a career milestone for Gene: the last script he would write for a show that he didn't also create. 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 "Queen Anne Killer Unidentified: The Michael Olds Story". 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.
The eighth episode of Jordan Peele’s revival of Rod Serling’s science fiction anthology series The Twilight Zone streams on CBS All Access. Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) and James Frain (Star Trek: Discovery) star.
The 29th episode of the science fiction series The Expanse, based on the series of novels by James S.A. Corey (a pseudonym for writers Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham), is broadcast on cable channel Syfy. Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost, V) guest stars.
Big Finish Productions releases the Doctor Who audio story Death And The Queen as part of The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Volume One box set, starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact) guest stars.
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope confirms the observations of Earthbound astronomers with high-powered telescopes: a new dark atmospheric feature has emerged on the planet Neptune, signifying a major new storm system in the planet’s atmosphere. The new vortex feature emerges near the south polar area of Neptune, and was first observed by telescope in 2015.
The movie Star Trek Into Darkness opens in American theaters, having already opened overseas. This movie reunites director J.J. Abrams and the cast of the 2009 Star Trek movie, set in an alternate timeline from the original TV series and its big and small screen descendants. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Peter Weller (Robocop) and Alice Eve also star.
Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off on its final flight into orbit, carrying an alpha magnetic spectrometer instrument and supplies to the International Space Station during a 16-day mission. This is Endeavour’s 25th and final launch. The crew for this mission consists of Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg Johnson, and mission specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Roberto Vittori.
Emerging into a film landscape with more staunch fantasy and science fiction competition than the franchise has encountered in the past, Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones is released, starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Temuera Morrison, and Ian McDiarmid. The film’s most lasting contribution may be in setting up the Clone Wars storyline, which will be explored much more extensively on television in the coming years.
UPN broadcasts the sixth 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). Tom Welling (Smallville) guest stars in the first season finale; the series returns in the fall.
The 77th episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, and Alyson Hannigan also star. Amber Benson guest stars.
The 139th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. William B. Davis and Nicholas Lea guest star in the sixth season finale.
Fox airs the 47th episode of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, Cleavant Derricks, and Kari Wuhrer. Neil Dickson (She-Wolf Of London) and Michael York (Logan’s Run) guest star in the third season finale. This is Sabrina Lloyd’s final appearance as a series regular. Fox cancels the series after this season, but the show is rescued by the Sci-Fi Channel.
The tenth episode of RoboCop: The Series airs in syndication, starring Richard Eden, Yvette Nipar, Blu Mankuma, and Andrea Roth. Jeremy Ratchford (X-Men, Cold Case) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 25th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This episode marks the end of the first season (with no guarantee, due the 1988 Writers’ Guild strike, that the series will be back in production anytime soon), and the return of the Romulans to the Star Trek universe, a sign that Gene Roddenberry is relaxing his stance on revisiting elements of the original series.
The 16th episode of James D. Parriott’s lighthearted sci-fi series, Misfits Of Science, airs on NBC, starring Dean Paul Martin, Kevin Peter Hall, and Courteney Cox. Joe Dorsey (Brainstorm, WarGames) and Meg Wyllie (Star Trek) guest star in the final episode of the already-cancelled series.
Australian-based Crowded House – formed by ex-Split Enz members Neil Finn and Paul Hester, with new bassist Nick Seymour – releases its self-titled first album worldwide. Early attempts to push the album internationally fall flat, until the single “Don’t Dream It’s Over” climbs the American radio charts, landing at #2 for a single week thanks to relentless promotion and small-venue touring.
Researchers and storm chasers from the National Weather Service’s Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma make the first field deployment of the 300-pound TOtable Tornado Observatory (TOTO) instrument package, a modified oil drum filled with meteorological instrumentation which is intended to be placed directly into the path of an oncoming tornado. The first deployment, in north Texas, yields no data – no tornado forms for TOTO to study. Over the next five years, despite several “close calls”, TOTO is never successfully placed in the direct path of a tornado. The TOTO program is discontinued in 1987.
Atari releases the two-player arcade game Basketball, which features one of the earliest instances of a basketball court drawn in a vaguely 3-D perspective. Like its Football predecessor from Atari, Basketball uses dual trackball controllers.
The 273rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Most of the regular and recurring cast members double as “fascist alternate universe” versions of themselves; Olaf Pooley and Christopher Benjamin guest star.
The 26th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part six of the story now collectively known as The Keys Of Marinus. Geroge Colouris guest stars.
At the Hughes Research Laboratory in California, physicist Ted Maiman conducts the first completely successful laser demonstration, resulting in a brief pulse fired through a ruby. Though the concept of lasers had been published in the 1950s, Maiman is the first to develop a fully working test article. Within a few years, similar ruby lasers are used for numerous military applications, as well as early holography. Maiman’s test laser, when demonstrated again at a conference in 2010, is still operational.
The 33rd 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 is no longer in the archives and may be missing.
The CW airs the 85th episode of Legends Of Tomorrow, starring Caity Lotz, Matt Ryan, Jes Macallan, and Tala Ashe.
The CW airs the 34th episode of Batwoman starring Javicia Leslie, Rachel Skarsten, and Meagan Tandy.
The eighth episode of Jordan Peele’s revival of Rod Serling’s science fiction anthology series The Twilight Zone streams on CBS All Access. Ginnifer Goodwin (Once Upon A Time) and James Frain (Star Trek: Discovery) star.
The 29th episode of the science fiction series The Expanse, based on the series of novels by James S.A. Corey (a pseudonym for writers Ty Franck and Daniel Abraham), is broadcast on cable channel Syfy. Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost, V) guest stars.
The CW airs the 68th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin. 
Big Finish Productions releases the Doctor Who audio story Death And The Queen as part of The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Volume One box set, starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate. Alice Krige (Star Trek: First Contact) guest stars. 
Big Finish Productions releases the Doctor Who audio story Technophobia as part of The Tenth Doctor Adventures: Volume One box set, starring David Tennant and Catherine Tate. 
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope confirms the observations of Earthbound astronomers with high-powered telescopes: a new dark atmospheric feature has emerged on the planet Neptune, signifying a major new storm system in the planet’s atmosphere. The new vortex feature emerges near the south polar area of Neptune, and was first observed by telescope in 2015.
The movie Star Trek Into Darkness opens in American theaters, having already opened overseas. This movie reunites director J.J. Abrams and the cast of the 2009 Star Trek movie, set in an alternate timeline from the original TV series and its big and small screen descendants. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock), Peter Weller (Robocop) and Alice Eve also star. 
Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off on its final flight into orbit, carrying an alpha magnetic spectrometer instrument and supplies to the International Space Station during a 16-day mission. This is Endeavour’s 25th and final launch. The crew for this mission consists of Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg Johnson, and mission specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Roberto Vittori.
UK cable channel Disney XD airs the 17th episode of K-9. The Australian-made series features no Doctor Who-related characters other than K-9. 
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 60th episode of Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. Richard Hatch guest stars. 
ABC airs the 68th episode of the J.J. Abrams-produced series Lost. Mira Furlan (Babylon 5) and Nestor Carbonell guest star. 
Epic Records releases Rupert Gregson-Williams‘ soundtrack from the movie Over The Hedge, featuring songs by Ben Folds. 
The Varese Sarabande CD Club releases Jerry Goldsmith‘s rejected score from the 1988 film Alien Nation as a limited edition CD. 
Emerging into a film landscape with more staunch fantasy and science fiction competition than the franchise has encountered in the past, Star Wars Episode II: Attack Of The Clones is released, starring Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, Hayden Christensen, Christopher Lee, Samuel L. Jackson, Temuera Morrison, and Ian McDiarmid. The film’s most lasting contribution may be in setting up the Clone Wars storyline, which will be explored much more extensively on television in the coming years. 
UPN airs the 169th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. 
UPN broadcasts the sixth 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). Tom Welling (Smallville) guest stars in the first season finale; the series returns in the fall.
The 77th episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, and Alyson Hannigan also star. Amber Benson guest stars.
The 139th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. William B. Davis and Nicholas Lea guest star in the sixth season finale.
Fox airs the 47th episode of Tracy Torme’s alternate-universe science fiction series Sliders, starring Jerry O’Connell, Sabrina Lloyd, Cleavant Derricks, and Kari Wuhrer. Neil Dickson (She-Wolf Of London) and Michael York (Logan’s Run) guest star in the third season finale. This is Sabrina Lloyd’s final appearance as a series regular. Fox cancels the series after this season, but the show is rescued by the Sci-Fi Channel.
Virgin Publishing releases the 22nd Doctor Who: The Missing Adventures novel, The Sands of Time by Justin Richards, featuring the TARDIS team of the fifth Doctor, Nyssa, and Tegan. 
Virgin Publishing releases the 50th book in the Doctor Who: The New Adventures range, Happy Endings by Paul Cornell. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 43rd episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Lousie Fletcher (One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest) guest stars. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 175th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Michelle Forbes guest stars as newly promoted Lt. Ro. 
The tenth episode of RoboCop: The Series airs in syndication, starring Richard Eden, Yvette Nipar, Blu Mankuma, and Andrea Roth. Jeremy Ratchford (X-Men, Cold Case) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 25th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This episode marks the end of the first season (with no guarantee, due the 1988 Writers’ Guild strike, that the series will be back in production anytime soon), and the return of the Romulans to the Star Trek universe, a sign that Gene Roddenberry is relaxing his stance on revisiting elements of the original series. 
The 16th episode of James D. Parriott’s lighthearted sci-fi series, Misfits Of Science, airs on NBC, starring Dean Paul Martin, Kevin Peter Hall, and Courteney Cox. Joe Dorsey (Brainstorm, WarGames) and Meg Wyllie (Star Trek) guest star in the final episode of the already-cancelled series.
Australian-based Crowded House – formed by ex-Split Enz members Neil Finn and Paul Hester, with new bassist Nick Seymour – releases its self-titled first album worldwide. Early attempts to push the album internationally fall flat, until the single “Don’t Dream It’s Over” climbs the American radio charts, landing at #2 for a single week thanks to relentless promotion and small-venue touring. 
ITV airs the 55th episode of the anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected. Leslie Carton guest stars.
Mattel Electronics releases the Night Stalker cartridge for the Intellivision home video game system, which quickly becomes one of the signature original games for the system. 
Researchers and storm chasers from the National Weather Service’s Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Oklahoma make the first field deployment of the 300-pound TOtable Tornado Observatory (TOTO) instrument package, a modified oil drum filled with meteorological instrumentation which is intended to be placed directly into the path of an oncoming tornado. The first deployment, in north Texas, yields no data – no tornado forms for TOTO to study. Over the next five years, despite several “close calls”, TOTO is never successfully placed in the direct path of a tornado. The TOTO program is discontinued in 1987.
Atari releases the two-player arcade game Basketball, which features one of the earliest instances of a basketball court drawn in a vaguely 3-D perspective. Like its Football predecessor from Atari, Basketball uses dual trackball controllers. 
Sunnyvale, California-based Meadows Games releases the arcade video game Gypsy Juggler in the United States. 
The 273rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Most of the regular and recurring cast members double as “fascist alternate universe” versions of themselves; Olaf Pooley and Christopher Benjamin guest star.
The 26th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part six of the story now collectively known as The Keys Of Marinus. Geroge Colouris guest stars.
ABC airs the 91st episode of the supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland. Larry Gates guest stars.
At the Hughes Research Laboratory in California, physicist Ted Maiman conducts the first completely successful laser demonstration, resulting in a brief pulse fired through a ruby. Though the concept of lasers had been published in the 1950s, Maiman is the first to develop a fully working test article. Within a few years, similar ruby lasers are used for numerous military applications, as well as early holography. Maiman’s test laser, when demonstrated again at a conference in 2010, is still operational.
The 33rd 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 is no longer in the archives and may be missing.