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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. In many ways presaging the likes of Matlock, Gene Roddenberry's unsold pilot script "Defiance County" not only pits a small-town prosecutor against his entire home town, but it also set up a showdown between Gene and one of his writing mentors. 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 Defiance County. 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 Alexander Mitchell, Duncan K. Fraser and Holly Amos 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.
The 128th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Michael Emerson (Lost) guest stars.
The 13th 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. Chad L. Coleman (The Orville) and Hugh Dillon (Flashpoint, The Killing) guest star.
The 104th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Lexa Doig (Andromeda) guest stars.
The 205th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars.
Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off on the 130th shuttle flight, a 14-day mission to the International Space Station. The Endeavour crew and station astronauts install another module, the Tranquility node, allowing for further expansion of the station in the future; this module also includes the cupola “control tower” that has become visually synonymous with the ISS. Aboard Endeavour for her 24th flight are Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts, and mission specialists Nicholas Patrick, Stephen Robinson, Robert Behnken and Kathryn Hire.
A self-taught composer whose scores for the original Toho Studios Godzilla films have become cult favorites, Akira Ifukube dies at the age of 91. He trained in the lumber industry and served as a forestry office during World War II, but he explored his interest in music in his spare time and became a university music instructor in 1946. In 1954, he scored the first Godzilla movie, and that music was tracked into later films in the series and has been re-recorded, covered and sampled by numerous artists since then. Aside from his film scoring work, he has been credited with hundreds of musical compositions since then and served as president of the Tokyo College of Music from 1976 to 1987.
The 34th episode of James Cameron & Charles H. Eglee’s cyberpunk series Dark Angel, starring Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly, airs on Fox. Ashley Scott (Birds Of Prey, Jericho) guest stars.
The 69th 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 week-long national syndication window opens for the 161st episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This murder mystery episode anticipates many elements of the CSI television franchise, which didn’t premiere until the following year.
The 13th episode of Highlander: The Raven, starring Amanda Gracen and Paul Johannson, airs in syndication; the series is a spinoff from Highlander: The Series.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 82nd episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. Ted Raimi guest stars.
The 36th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Lisa Howard, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau. Majel Barrett Roddenberry (Star Trek) guest stars.
The 107th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Susannah Hoffmann guest stars.
The 21st episode of Roger Price’s rebooted science fiction series The Tomorrow People is broadcast on ITV in the U.K. (and will appear later on Nickelodeon in North America), starring Kristian Schmid, Naomie Harris (Spyfall), and Christian Tessier. Clive Merrison and Danny John-Jules (Red Dwarf) guest star.
The 11th episode of Roger Price’s rebooted science fiction series The Tomorrow People is broadcast on ITV in the U.K. (and will appear later on Nickelodeon in North America), starring Kristian Schmid, Naomie Harris (Spyfall), and Christian Tessier. Christopher Benjamin (Doctor Who) guest stars.
The sevenh episode of a modern reboot of Dan Curtis’ gothic horror series Dark Shadows is broadcast on NBC, starring Ben Cross, Lysette Anthony, Roy Thinnes (The Invaders), and Jean Simmons. Adrian Paul (Highlander) guest stars.
The 613th and 614th episodes of Doctor Who air on BBC1, in a special 50-minute format due to the BBC’s coverage of the 1984 Winter Olympics. Terry Molloy assumes the role of Davros; Maurice Colbourne, Rula Lenska, Rodney Bewes and Leslie Grantham guest star.
Delayed many months during the investigation into the causes of the Soyuz T-10a near-disaster in 1983, Soyuz T-10 lifts off from the Soviet Union. Cosmonauts Leonid Kizim, Vladimir Solovyov and Oleg Atkov take up residence on space station Salyut 7 for a 236-day stay – the longest duration crew of the entire Salyut space station program – during which they have to conduct repairs to the station both inside and outside in a series of spacewalks. Left unoccupied months longer than expected, the station has powered down and must be reactivated, a process taking nearly ten days. A fuel line break on the exterior of the station must be repaired as well. The crew remains aboard Salyut 7 through October.
The 590th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This story brings back both the Brigadier and the Black Guardian. Nicholas Courtney returns as the Brigadier and Valentine Dyall guest stars as the Black Guardian.
Williams Electronics releases the arcade video game Sinistar, designed by Noah Falstein and John Newcomer, and coded by a team including R.J. Mical, Sam Dicker, Ken Graham, and Richard Witt. With digitized pre-recorded speech from a professional voice actor lending the titular Sinistar a booming, terrifying voice, the game (and its difficulty) soon become legendary.
The 48th 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.
Fairchild rebrands its pioneering Video Entertainment System console as the much more memorable Fairchild Channel F. This is the name by which the console will be most commonly known in the future, and a name which it retains even after Fairchild sells its inventory and interest in Channel F to electronic toolmaker Zircon in 1979. Many later historical accounts associate the Channel F rebranding with competition and market confusion from Atari’s Video Computer System, but in fact the VCS won’t debut until much later in the year.
The eighth and final episode of children’s fantasy series The Owl Service is broadcast by British broadcast Granada Television. The series is adapted by novelist Alan Garner from his own novel.
Starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall, 20th Century Fox’s big-screen release of Planet Of The Apes quickly becomes one of 1968’s movie success stories, and easily one of the year’s two most influential genre films. Propelled into the future aboard a spacecraft from Earth, a trio of astronauts find themselves on a world ruled by sentient apes with no love of humanity whatsoever – for humanity nearly destroyed their world. The studio almost immediately sets the wheels in motion for a sequel.
The 22nd episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Barry Atwater and Gene Dynarski guest star.
NBC airs the 19th 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).
The 12th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is the first part of the story now collectively known as The Edge Of Destruction, the first story – and one of very few in the series’ entire history – to take place entirely within the TARDIS.
The 142nd episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Unusually for The Twilight Zone, this is an instance of a complete film presented as an episode, with only minor edits and Serling’s customary introduction added.
NASA and the United States Weather Bureau launch the fourth experimental TIROS weather satellite, TIROS-4. Further refinements to the basic TIROS satellite system are made, and after TIROS-3’s discovery of a hurricane in the Atlantic well before it his the US, new enhancements are introduced specifically for early hurricane detection. TIROS-4 remains in orbit for less than six months.
The 19th episode of the military anthology series West Point is broadcast on CBS in the United States. This episode is an early TV script written by future Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, one of the series’ staff writers.
The 19th 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, based on a story which will later be adapted for an episode of The Twilight Zone, stars William Redfield.
The 128th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Michael Emerson (Lost) guest stars.
The 13th 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. Chad L. Coleman (The Orville) and Hugh Dillon (Flashpoint, The Killing) guest star.
The 205th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Alessandro Juliani (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars.
The second episode of the fan-made internet series Star Trek Continues premieres. Guest stars include Fiona Vroom, Lou Ferrigno (The Incredible Hulk), Erin Gray (Buck Rogers In The 25th Century), and Daniel Logan (Star Wars Episode II). 
Space Shuttle Endeavour lifts off on the 130th shuttle flight, a 14-day mission to the International Space Station. The Endeavour crew and station astronauts install another module, the Tranquility node, allowing for further expansion of the station in the future; this module also includes the cupola “control tower” that has become visually synonymous with the ISS. Aboard Endeavour for her 24th flight are Commander George Zamka, Pilot Terry Virts, and mission specialists Nicholas Patrick, Stephen Robinson, Robert Behnken and Kathryn Hire.
ABC premieres the 14th episode of Shaun Cassidy’s sci-fi/horror series Invasion, starring William Fichtner (Contact), Eddie Cibrian, and Lisa Sheridan. 
ABC airs the 37th episode of the J.J. Abrams-produced series Lost. Kim Dickens guest stars. 
A self-taught composer whose scores for the original Toho Studios Godzilla films have become cult favorites, Akira Ifukube dies at the age of 91. He trained in the lumber industry and served as a forestry office during World War II, but he explored his interest in music in his spare time and became a university music instructor in 1946. In 1954, he scored the first Godzilla movie, and that music was tracked into later films in the series and has been re-recorded, covered and sampled by numerous artists since then. Aside from his film scoring work, he has been credited with hundreds of musical compositions since then and served as president of the Tokyo College of Music from 1976 to 1987.
The 34th episode of James Cameron & Charles H. Eglee’s cyberpunk series Dark Angel, starring Jessica Alba and Michael Weatherly, airs on Fox. Ashley Scott (Birds Of Prey, Jericho) guest stars.
The 69th 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 week-long national syndication window opens for the 161st episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. This murder mystery episode anticipates many elements of the CSI television franchise, which didn’t premiere until the following year. 
The 13th episode of Highlander: The Raven, starring Amanda Gracen and Paul Johannson, airs in syndication; the series is a spinoff from Highlander: The Series. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 82nd episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. Ted Raimi guest stars. 
The 36th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Lisa Howard, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau. Majel Barrett Roddenberry (Star Trek) guest stars.
The 21st episode of Roger Price’s rebooted science fiction series The Tomorrow People is broadcast on ITV in the U.K. (and will appear later on Nickelodeon in North America), starring Kristian Schmid, Naomie Harris (Spyfall), and Christian Tessier. Clive Merrison and Danny John-Jules (Red Dwarf) guest star.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 32nd episode of Babylon 5. Paul Winfield (Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan) guest stars. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the seventh episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 139th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Carolyn Seymour (Survivors) guest stars. 
The sevenh episode of a modern reboot of Dan Curtis’ gothic horror series Dark Shadows is broadcast on NBC, starring Ben Cross, Lysette Anthony, Roy Thinnes (The Invaders), and Jean Simmons. Adrian Paul (Highlander) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 15th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 
The 613th and 614th episodes of Doctor Who air on BBC1, in a special 50-minute format due to the BBC’s coverage of the 1984 Winter Olympics. Terry Molloy assumes the role of Davros; Maurice Colbourne, Rula Lenska, Rodney Bewes and Leslie Grantham guest star. 
Delayed many months during the investigation into the causes of the Soyuz T-10a near-disaster in 1983, Soyuz T-10 lifts off from the Soviet Union. Cosmonauts Leonid Kizim, Vladimir Solovyov and Oleg Atkov take up residence on space station Salyut 7 for a 236-day stay – the longest duration crew of the entire Salyut space station program – during which they have to conduct repairs to the station both inside and outside in a series of spacewalks. Left unoccupied months longer than expected, the station has powered down and must be reactivated, a process taking nearly ten days. A fuel line break on the exterior of the station must be repaired as well. The crew remains aboard Salyut 7 through October.
The 590th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This story brings back both the Brigadier and the Black Guardian. Nicholas Courtney returns as the Brigadier and Valentine Dyall guest stars as the Black Guardian.
Williams Electronics releases the arcade video game Sinistar, designed by Noah Falstein and John Newcomer, and coded by a team including R.J. Mical, Sam Dicker, Ken Graham, and Richard Witt. With digitized pre-recorded speech from a professional voice actor lending the titular Sinistar a booming, terrifying voice, the game (and its difficulty) soon become legendary. 
Atari releases the arcade video game Black Widow, a twin-joystick vector graphics game. 
The 564th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Richard Todd, Nerys Hughes and Simon Rouse guest star.
The 48th 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.
Fairchild rebrands its pioneering Video Entertainment System console as the much more memorable Fairchild Channel F. This is the name by which the console will be most commonly known in the future, and a name which it retains even after Fairchild sells its inventory and interest in Channel F to electronic toolmaker Zircon in 1979. Many later historical accounts associate the Channel F rebranding with competition and market confusion from Atari’s Video Computer System, but in fact the VCS won’t debut until much later in the year.
The 54th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Farrah Fawcett Majors guest stars.
The 388th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1.
The fourth episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. John Saxon and Lloyd Bochner guest star. 
The eighth and final episode of children’s fantasy series The Owl Service is broadcast by British broadcast Granada Television. The series is adapted by novelist Alan Garner from his own novel. 
The 234th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is the second appearance of the Ice Warriors.
Starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall, 20th Century Fox’s big-screen release of Planet Of The Apes quickly becomes one of 1968’s movie success stories, and easily one of the year’s two most influential genre films. Propelled into the future aboard a spacecraft from Earth, a trio of astronauts find themselves on a world ruled by sentient apes with no love of humanity whatsoever – for humanity nearly destroyed their world. The studio almost immediately sets the wheels in motion for a sequel. 
The 49th episode of Irwin Allen’s science fiction series Lost In Space premieres on CBS, starring Guy Williams, June Lockhart, and Jonathan Harris.
British broadcaster ABC airs the 98th episode of the spy-fi series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. 
The 22nd episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Barry Atwater and Gene Dynarski guest star.
NBC airs the 19th 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). 
The 12th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is the first part of the story now collectively known as The Edge Of Destruction, the first story – and one of very few in the series’ entire history – to take place entirely within the TARDIS. 
The 142nd episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Unusually for The Twilight Zone, this is an instance of a complete film presented as an episode, with only minor edits and Serling’s customary introduction added.
NASA and the United States Weather Bureau launch the fourth experimental TIROS weather satellite, TIROS-4. Further refinements to the basic TIROS satellite system are made, and after TIROS-3’s discovery of a hurricane in the Atlantic well before it his the US, new enhancements are introduced specifically for early hurricane detection. TIROS-4 remains in orbit for less than six months.
The 19th episode of the military anthology series West Point is broadcast on CBS in the United States. This episode is an early TV script written by future Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, one of the series’ staff writers. 
The 19th 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, based on a story which will later be adapted for an episode of The Twilight Zone, stars William Redfield.