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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. Target: The Corruptors! was a short-lived crime drama that unfolded from the perspective of an ace newspaper reporter. Gene turned in a single script that was significantly altered prior to broadcast, resulting in him receiving only a story credit. Find out what happens in both versions of "To Wear A Badge". 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 "To Wear A Badge". 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 Shawn McDaniel and Brendan Berndt 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 Israeli-built Beresheet uncrewed experimental lunar lander is launched from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Originally intended as an entrant for the Google Lunar X Prize, Beresheet (and all the other hopefuls) missed the March 31, 2018 deadline, leaving the $20,000,000 Lunar X Prize unclaimed. Unlike past lunar missions, Beresheet is launched into a high Earth orbit, whose apogee (maximum distance from Earth) will be increased over a period of nearly two months with multiple burns of the vehicle’s main engine until it coincides with the orbital distance of the moon, at which time the engine will be fired again to place it in a lunar orbit prior to landing. The lander contains digital copies of numerous documents from Earth, reflecting the builders’ Jewish heritage as well as extensive databases of knowledge from sources such as Wikipedia. As the lander itself has not been built with protective shielding of any kind, its operational lifetime is expected to last only around two days on the lunar surface. If the mission succeeds, Israel will be the fourth nation (after the United States, Soviet-era Russia, and China) to land a spacecraft on the moon.
The 15th 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) guest stars.
NASA announces the discovery, via the Spitzer Space Telescope, of a system of seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1, only 40 light years from Earth’s solar system. Though water may exist in some state on all seven of the planets, three of them are thought to be orbiting within the “Goldilocks zone” in which liquid water would be abundant, making life possible on the surfaces of those planets.
The 207th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Mitch Pileggi, Annabeth Gish, William B. Davis, Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People, The Flash) guest star in the tenth season finale.
Art Records releases The Orchestra’s album No Rewind. This is a new lineup for the band previously known as Electric Light Orchestra Part II, which – after the departure of founding ELO drummer Bev Bevan – is now legally required to avoid references to Electric Light Orchestra in any promotional material. This album saw limited release as a tour exclusive in 2001; this is its first retail release.
The second episode of the science fiction comedy series The Strangerers is broadcast on Sky One, created and written by Rob Grant (Red Dwarf), starring Mark Williams and Jack Docherty. Paul Darrow (Blake’s 7) guest stars.
The 71st 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 and Eliza Dushku guest star.
The 15th episode of Highlander: The Raven, starring Amanda Gracen and Paul Johannson, airs in syndication; the series is a spinoff from Highlander: The Series. Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 84th episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. Elements of this episode generate controversy, and affiliate TV stations carrying the show are warned to expect some viewer complaints.
The 38th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Lisa Howard, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau. Janet Kidder (Continuum, Star Trek: Discovery) guest stars.
The 109th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Luke Wilson guest stars.
Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on the 75th shuttle flight, staying in orbit for nearly 16 days. The crew attempts to deploy a tethered satellite experiment flown unsuccessfully in 1992, only to watch as the tether snaps with the satellite 12 miles away from the shuttle. The remainder of the flight is spent conducting planned material science experiments. Aboard Columbia for her 19th flight are Commander Andrew Allen, Pilot Scott Horowitz, Payload Commander Franklin Chang-Diaz, and mission specialists Maurizio Cheli, Jeffrey Hoffman, Claude Nicollier and Umberto Guidoni. To this day, video of the satellite floating in space after the tether failure is circulated as “proof” of the existence of UFOs.
The 23rd 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, Alexandra Milman, and Christian Tessier. Clive Merrison and Danny John-Jules (Red Dwarf) guest star.
The 13th 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 week-long national syndication window opens for the 141st episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is the only major TNG crossover episode with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, guest starring Siddig El Fadil as Dr. Bashir.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the pilot movie of Babylon 5, The Gathering. The movie’s completely computer-generated effects – a first for television science fiction – win an Emmy Award. Despite favorable ratings from the movie’s initial broadcast, months pass before Warner Bros. orders the first full season, to premiere in 1994.
Corvus Systems introduces its Winchester hard disk drive for the Apple II computer, available with five or ten megabytes of storage. A bulky device requiring its own power supply independent of the computer to which it’s connected, the Winchester drive carries a $5,000 price tag and an unconventional data backup system, Corvus Mirror, which uses videocassettes (also a fairly new technology). As the investment in this new mass storage technology is fairly daunting, Corvus will introduce a networking system the following year to allow multiple computers access to a single hard drive.
The 50th 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.
The U.S. Air Force launches NAVSTAR-1, the first of a planned constellation of experimental satellites supporting the Department of Defense’s Global Positioning System project. Envisioned as a network of satellites providing extremely accurate location data for military purposes, the Global Positioning System will later grow to service civilian customers as well. Three other NAVSTAR satellites are launched in 1978 alone, and later satellites in the original NAVSTAR series will be launched betwen 1980 and 1985. Unlike the later, more advanced NAVSTAR II satellites of the 1990s, data from the original NAVSTAR constellation is restricted to the American military.
The 56th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Noah Beery Jr. (The Rockford Files) guest stars.
The 24th episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Warren Stevens and James Brolin guest star.
NBC airs the 21st 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). Nichelle Nichols, in her first television acting role, and Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) guest star in an episode that is pre-empted by some network affiliate stations.
The 14th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part one of the story now collectively known as Marco Polo. The entirety of this story has since been lost by the BBC archives.
The 21st 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 21st 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 stars Boris Karloff and Barbara Joyce.
The CW airs the 20th episode of Superman & Lois, starring Tyler Hoechlin, Elizabeth Tulloch, Jordan Elsass, and Alex Garfin.
The Israeli-built Beresheet uncrewed experimental lunar lander is launched from Cape Canaveral aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Originally intended as an entrant for the Google Lunar X Prize, Beresheet (and all the other hopefuls) missed the March 31, 2018 deadline, leaving the $20,000,000 Lunar X Prize unclaimed. Unlike past lunar missions, Beresheet is launched into a high Earth orbit, whose apogee (maximum distance from Earth) will be increased over a period of nearly two months with multiple burns of the vehicle’s main engine until it coincides with the orbital distance of the moon, at which time the engine will be fired again to place it in a lunar orbit prior to landing. The lander contains digital copies of numerous documents from Earth, reflecting the builders’ Jewish heritage as well as extensive databases of knowledge from sources such as Wikipedia. As the lander itself has not been built with protective shielding of any kind, its operational lifetime is expected to last only around two days on the lunar surface. If the mission succeeds, Israel will be the fourth nation (after the United States, Soviet-era Russia, and China) to land a spacecraft on the moon.
The 15th 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) guest stars.
NASA announces the discovery, via the Spitzer Space Telescope, of a system of seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting the star TRAPPIST-1, only 40 light years from Earth’s solar system. Though water may exist in some state on all seven of the planets, three of them are thought to be orbiting within the “Goldilocks zone” in which liquid water would be abundant, making life possible on the surfaces of those planets.
The 106th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW.
The 207th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson. Mitch Pileggi, Annabeth Gish, William B. Davis, Lauren Ambrose (Six Feet Under) and Robbie Amell (The Tomorrow People, The Flash) guest star in the tenth season finale.
Art Records releases The Orchestra’s album No Rewind. This is a new lineup for the band previously known as Electric Light Orchestra Part II, which – after the departure of founding ELO drummer Bev Bevan – is now legally required to avoid references to Electric Light Orchestra in any promotional material. This album saw limited release as a tour exclusive in 2001; this is its first retail release. 
The second episode of the science fiction comedy series The Strangerers is broadcast on Sky One, created and written by Rob Grant (Red Dwarf), starring Mark Williams and Jack Docherty. Paul Darrow (Blake’s 7) guest stars.
The 71st 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 and Eliza Dushku guest star.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 163rd episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. 
The 15th episode of Highlander: The Raven, starring Amanda Gracen and Paul Johannson, airs in syndication; the series is a spinoff from Highlander: The Series. Michelle Gomez (Doctor Who) guest stars.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 84th episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. Elements of this episode generate controversy, and affiliate TV stations carrying the show are warned to expect some viewer complaints. 
The 38th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Lisa Howard, Von Flores, and Richard Chevolleau. Janet Kidder (Continuum, Star Trek: Discovery) guest stars.
Space Shuttle Columbia is launched on the 75th shuttle flight, staying in orbit for nearly 16 days. The crew attempts to deploy a tethered satellite experiment flown unsuccessfully in 1992, only to watch as the tether snaps with the satellite 12 miles away from the shuttle. The remainder of the flight is spent conducting planned material science experiments. Aboard Columbia for her 19th flight are Commander Andrew Allen, Pilot Scott Horowitz, Payload Commander Franklin Chang-Diaz, and mission specialists Maurizio Cheli, Jeffrey Hoffman, Claude Nicollier and Umberto Guidoni. To this day, video of the satellite floating in space after the tether failure is circulated as “proof” of the existence of UFOs.
The 23rd 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, Alexandra Milman, and Christian Tessier. Clive Merrison and Danny John-Jules (Red Dwarf) guest star.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 34th episode of Babylon 5. Ian Abercrombie and Paul Williams guest star. 
The Grays releases the album Ro Sham Bo, which proves to be the L.A. supergroup’s only album. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 141st episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is the only major TNG crossover episode with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, guest starring Siddig El Fadil as Dr. Bashir. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the pilot movie of Babylon 5, The Gathering. The movie’s completely computer-generated effects – a first for television science fiction – win an Emmy Award. Despite favorable ratings from the movie’s initial broadcast, months pass before Warner Bros. orders the first full season, to premiere in 1994. 
The second episode of the science fiction comedy Red Dwarf airs on BBC 2. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 17th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. 
The 594th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Valentine Dyall appears as the Black Guardian; Liza Goddard (The Brothers) guest stars.
The 568th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Michael Robbins guest stars as Richard Mace.
Corvus Systems introduces its Winchester hard disk drive for the Apple II computer, available with five or ten megabytes of storage. A bulky device requiring its own power supply independent of the computer to which it’s connected, the Winchester drive carries a $5,000 price tag and an unconventional data backup system, Corvus Mirror, which uses videocassettes (also a fairly new technology). As the investment in this new mass storage technology is fairly daunting, Corvus will introduce a networking system the following year to allow multiple computers access to a single hard drive.
The 50th 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.
The U.S. Air Force launches NAVSTAR-1, the first of a planned constellation of experimental satellites supporting the Department of Defense’s Global Positioning System project. Envisioned as a network of satellites providing extremely accurate location data for military purposes, the Global Positioning System will later grow to service civilian customers as well. Three other NAVSTAR satellites are launched in 1978 alone, and later satellites in the original NAVSTAR series will be launched betwen 1980 and 1985. Unlike the later, more advanced NAVSTAR II satellites of the 1990s, data from the original NAVSTAR constellation is restricted to the American military.
The 56th episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Noah Beery Jr. (The Rockford Files) guest stars.
The 390th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. 
The fifth episode of The Six Million Dollar Man is broadcast on ABC, starring Lee Majors and Richard Anderson. Greg Morris (Mission Impossible) guest stars. 
Toho releases the 11th Godzilla movie, Godzilla vs. The Smog Monster. 
ABC airs the 48th episode of Irwin Allen’s sci-fi series Land Of The Giants, starring Gary Conway, Don Matheson, Deanna Lund, and Don Marshall. 
The 236th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is the second appearance of the Ice Warriors.
The 51st 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 100th episode of the spy-fi series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. 
The 24th episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Warren Stevens and James Brolin guest star.
NBC airs the 21st 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). Nichelle Nichols, in her first television acting role, and Dennis Hopper (Easy Rider) guest star in an episode that is pre-empted by some network affiliate stations. 
The 14th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part one of the story now collectively known as Marco Polo. The entirety of this story has since been lost by the BBC archives. 
The 21st 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 21st 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 stars Boris Karloff and Barbara Joyce.