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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. Is this the best television script Gene Roddenberry wrote prior to creating Star Trek? Gene's singular episode of the popular medical drama Dr. Kildare is a powerful story full of rich characters and raw emotions – the bedrock of great television drama. 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 "A Distant Thunder". 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 Jeff Gauntt and Bonnie Gordon 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.
Streaming service Paramount+ debuts the 15th episode of Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, Alison Pill, Evan Evagora, and Jeri Ryan. John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Annie Wersching (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Lea Thompson (Back To The Future) guest star.
Blue Origin launches the New Shepard suborbital flight NS-20, the fourth crewed flight of the vehicle. Passengers on this flight are Marty Allen, Sharon Hagle, Marc Hagle, Jim Kitchen, George Nield, and Gary Lai. Lai is the designer of the New Shepard vehicle.
The 17th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin, airs on the CW. Mark Hamill (Star Wars, Batman: The Animated Series, The Flash) guest stars.
Big Finish Productions releases the fifth Doctor Who: The Lost Stories audio drama, a limited series of audio versions of scripts that were intended for, but never produced by, Doctor Who on television. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant star in a story originally intended for the 1986 season of Doctor Who.
Big Finish Productions releases the 17th episode of the new Eighth Doctor Who audio dramas, starring Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith. Andrew Sachs (Fawlty Towers) guest stars in the third “season premiere” of the Eighth Doctor and Lucie adventures.
The 727th episode of Doctor Who (the 29th since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. Freeman Agyeman, having played a very small guest role in the previous season’s finale, is introduced as new TARDIS traveler Martha Jones. This episode introduces the Judoon, a rhinoceros-like intergalactic police force which recurs in many future episodes.
Bridging the gap between Star Wars Episode II and Episode III, Cartoon Network premieres the 14th mini-episode of Genndy Tartakovsky’s The Clone Wars animated shorts.
The 194th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, and Annabeth Gish. W. Earl Brown guest stars.
The fifth episode of Joss Whedon’s trend-setting supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. Anthony Stewart Head and Alyson Hannigan also star; David Boreanaz guest stars.
The 44th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson, David Duchovny, and Mitch Pileggi. Michael J. Anderson (Twin Peaks) and Vincent Schiavelli (Ghost) guest star.
The fourth episode of the science fiction series VR.5 airs on Fox, starring Lori Singer (Fame) and Michael Easton (Total Recall 2070). Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) joins the cast; David McCallum (The Man From UNCLE, The Invisible Man, NCIS) and Louise Fletcher (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest star.
Premium cable channel Showtime airs the second episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of Leslie Stevens’ 1960s science fiction anthology series. William Sadler, Nancy Allen, and Bruce Harwood guest star.
NBC airs the second episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) guest stars.
CBS airs the 36th episode of Ron Koslow’s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast, starring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Roy Dotrice. Franc Luz guest stars.
The first episode of the American-made Max Headroom series premieres on ABC, starring Matt Frewer and Amanda Pays. (This is the the American-made drama series, not the music video/talk show series featuring the same character.) Charles Rocket (Saturday Night Live) guest stars.
The Soviet Union launches the first Kvant module to join with the Mir core module. An expansion originally devised for the Salyut 7 space station, Kvant provides additional working space and life support systems aboard Mir as, well as a gyroscopic stablization system to keep the station properly oriented without the constant use of engines and fuel. Years later, the basic Kvant design will be developed further in Russia’s contributions to the International Space Station.
Williams Electronics releases the arcade video game Motorace USA, a scrolling racing game developed by Japanese game manufacturer IREM (who were also behind the Williams-licensed hit Moon Patrol). In other regions the same game is known as Traverse USA and Zippy Race.
ABC airs the 27th episode of Stephen J. Cannell’s superhero comedy series The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp. Keenan Wynn guest stars.
BBC1 premieres the 39th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7, ending the third season and seeing out series regular Jan Chappell (Cally) and the Liberator. This is the last script written for the series by Terry Nation, as he has decided to try his fortunes as a writer and producer in Hollywood, and is intended to be the series finale. When broadcast on the BBC, a voice-over on the end credits informs viewers that Blake’s 7 will return in 1981 – something that even the cast and crew aren’t aware of until then. Gareth Thomas guest stars as Blake.
ITV airs the second episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. Julie Harris guest stars.
The 33rd and 34th episodes of Wonder Woman air on CBS, starring Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner. Philip Michael Thomas (Miami Vice) and Gary Bughoff (M*A*S*H) guest star.
The seventh episode of the short-lived NBC series The Fantastic Journey premieres. The travelers visit an unusual circus from which there is no escape.
The 24th episode of the horror anthology series The Evil Touch airs on Australia’s Nine Network, hosted by Anthony Quayle (Strange Report). (The series will later appear in the U.S. and elsewhere in first-run syndication.) Ralph Meeker (The Dirty Dozen) guest stars.
The 343rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the last story featuring Roger Delgado as the Master before the actor’s untimely death in June 1973. Madhav Sharma (Moonbase 3) guest stars. This marks one of the earliest collaborations between the Doctor’s various enemies (in this case, a one-time-only alliance between the Master and the Daleks).
Carole King’s career-making album Tapestry is released by CBS records, featuring the singles “I Feel The Earth Move”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, “It’s Too Late” and “You’ve Got A Friend”.
The 110th and final 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 guest stars.
The 29th episode of Irwin Allen’s science fiction series The Time Tunnel airs on ABC, starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. John Crawford, Whit Bissell, and Lee Meriwether geust star.
The Soviet Union launches unmanned space probe Luna 10 toward the moon, where it becomes the moon’s first artificial satellite. Luna 10 remains functional for two months, during which a pre-recorded signal from it becomes one of the highlights of the 23rd Congress of the Soviet Communist Party. Luna 10 does not take photos of the moon from orbit, but does find varying concentrations of mass within the lunar surface. This is the last of the original “large” Luna probes, with later orbiters taking on a more compact form, and later large Luna probes containing landers and sample return rockets.
UK broadcaster ATV Midlands airs the 26th episode of Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation science fiction series Thunderbirds, featuring the voices of Shane Rimmer, David Graham, Sylvia Anderson, Ray Barrett, and Peter Dyneley. This is the first season finale.
Director Stanley Kubrick writes to author Arthur C. Clarke, initiating a lengthy discussion about “the proverbial really good science fiction movie”, a discussion which eventually leads to the movie (and novel) 2001: a space odyssey. Kubrick’s letter mentions that he is particularly interested in exploring the theme of the effects that first contact with an alien race would have on humanity.
CBS premieres the first episode of the anthology series ‘Way Out, hosted by author Roald Dahl. Fritz Weaver and Barnard Hughes (Tron, Mr. Merlin) star in an episode adapted by Dahl from his own short story. Marc Daniels (Star Trek) directs. The series is a mid-season replacement rushed into production by CBS to take over the time slot of a Jackie Gleason game show/talk show that had met with unexpectedly low ratings; the network also considers it a worthy companion piece to The Twilight Zone. This is also Roald Dahl’s first experience (but not his last) translating his work to the screen.
Streaming service Paramount+ debuts the 15th episode of Star Trek: Picard, starring Patrick Stewart, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, Alison Pill, Evan Evagora, and Jeri Ryan. John de Lancie (Star Trek: The Next Generation), Annie Wersching (Star Trek: Enterprise) and Lea Thompson (Back To The Future) guest star. 
Blue Origin launches the New Shepard suborbital flight NS-20, the fourth crewed flight of the vehicle. Passengers on this flight are Marty Allen, Sharon Hagle, Marc Hagle, Jim Kitchen, George Nield, and Gary Lai. Lai is the designer of the New Shepard vehicle.
The CW airs the ninth episode of Legends Of Tomorrow, starring Arthur Darvill, Brandon Routh, Caity Lotz and Victor Garber. 
The 17th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin, airs on the CW. Mark Hamill (Star Wars, Batman: The Animated Series, The Flash) guest stars.
Big Finish Productions releases the 34th and final episode of the new Eighth Doctor Who audio dramas, starring Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith; the eighth Doctor’s adventures will continue in a series of boxed sets, beginning with Dark Eyes in 2012. 
Big Finish Productions releases the fifth Doctor Who: The Lost Stories audio drama, a limited series of audio versions of scripts that were intended for, but never produced by, Doctor Who on television. Colin Baker and Nicola Bryant star in a story originally intended for the 1986 season of Doctor Who. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 17th episode of the new Eighth Doctor Who audio dramas, starring Paul McGann and Sheridan Smith. Andrew Sachs (Fawlty Towers) guest stars in the third “season premiere” of the Eighth Doctor and Lucie adventures. 
IDW Publishing releases the collected trade paperback edition of its four-issue Star Trek comic miniseries “Countdown”. This story ties the post Star Trek: Nemesis 24th century in to the plot of the 2009 J.J. Abrams Star Trek film. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 106th Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. 
The 727th episode of Doctor Who (the 29th since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. Freeman Agyeman, having played a very small guest role in the previous season’s finale, is introduced as new TARDIS traveler Martha Jones. This episode introduces the Judoon, a rhinoceros-like intergalactic police force which recurs in many future episodes. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 93rd Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton. 
Big Finish Productions releases the eighth Sarah Jane Smith audio drama, a Doctor Who audio spinoff starring Elisabeth Sladen, reprising her TV role. Stephen Greif (Blake’s 7) guest stars. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 67th Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred. 
Bridging the gap between Star Wars Episode II and Episode III, Cartoon Network premieres the 14th mini-episode of Genndy Tartakovsky’s The Clone Wars animated shorts. 
The 194th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson, Robert Patrick, and Annabeth Gish. W. Earl Brown guest stars.
Sci-Fi Channel premieres the 25th episode of Farscape. 
UPN airs the 113th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) guest stars. 
The fifth episode of Joss Whedon’s trend-setting supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on the WB network. Anthony Stewart Head and Alyson Hannigan also star; David Boreanaz guest stars.
The fourth episode of the science fiction series VR.5 airs on Fox, starring Lori Singer (Fame) and Michael Easton (Total Recall 2070). Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy The Vampire Slayer) joins the cast; David McCallum (The Man From UNCLE, The Invisible Man, NCIS) and Louise Fletcher (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest star.
Premium cable channel Showtime airs the second episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of Leslie Stevens’ 1960s science fiction anthology series. William Sadler, Nancy Allen, and Bruce Harwood guest star.
NBC airs the second episode of Donald Bellisario’s science fiction series Quantum Leap, starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell. Teri Hatcher (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) guest stars.
CBS airs the 36th episode of Ron Koslow’s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast, starring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Roy Dotrice. Franc Luz guest stars.
The first episode of the American-made Max Headroom series premieres on ABC, starring Matt Frewer and Amanda Pays. (This is the the American-made drama series, not the music video/talk show series featuring the same character.) Charles Rocket (Saturday Night Live) guest stars. 
The Soviet Union launches the first Kvant module to join with the Mir core module. An expansion originally devised for the Salyut 7 space station, Kvant provides additional working space and life support systems aboard Mir as, well as a gyroscopic stablization system to keep the station properly oriented without the constant use of engines and fuel. Years later, the basic Kvant design will be developed further in Russia’s contributions to the International Space Station.
Williams Electronics releases the arcade video game Motorace USA, a scrolling racing game developed by Japanese game manufacturer IREM (who were also behind the Williams-licensed hit Moon Patrol). In other regions the same game is known as Traverse USA and Zippy Race. 
ABC airs the 27th episode of Stephen J. Cannell’s superhero comedy series The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp. Keenan Wynn guest stars.
BBC1 premieres the 39th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7, ending the third season and seeing out series regular Jan Chappell (Cally) and the Liberator. This is the last script written for the series by Terry Nation, as he has decided to try his fortunes as a writer and producer in Hollywood, and is intended to be the series finale. When broadcast on the BBC, a voice-over on the end credits informs viewers that Blake’s 7 will return in 1981 – something that even the cast and crew aren’t aware of until then. Gareth Thomas guest stars as Blake. 
ITV airs the second episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. Julie Harris guest stars.
The seventh episode of Buck Henry’s science fiction spoof Quark premieres on NBC. 
The sixth episode of the live-action series based on Marvel’s comic The Incredible Hulk premieres on CBS, starring Bill Bixby, Jack Colvin, and Lou Ferrigno. Pamela Shoop and Robert Alda guest star. 
The 33rd and 34th episodes of Wonder Woman air on CBS, starring Lynda Carter and Lyle Waggoner. Philip Michael Thomas (Miami Vice) and Gary Bughoff (M*A*S*H) guest star.
The seventh episode of the short-lived NBC series The Fantastic Journey premieres. The travelers visit an unusual circus from which there is no escape. 
The 24th episode of the horror anthology series The Evil Touch airs on Australia’s Nine Network, hosted by Anthony Quayle (Strange Report). (The series will later appear in the U.S. and elsewhere in first-run syndication.) Ralph Meeker (The Dirty Dozen) guest stars.
The 343rd episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. This is the last story featuring Roger Delgado as the Master before the actor’s untimely death in June 1973. Madhav Sharma (Moonbase 3) guest stars. This marks one of the earliest collaborations between the Doctor’s various enemies (in this case, a one-time-only alliance between the Master and the Daleks).
Carole King’s career-making album Tapestry is released by CBS records, featuring the singles “I Feel The Earth Move”, “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”, “It’s Too Late” and “You’ve Got A Friend”. 
The 110th and final 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 guest stars.
The 29th episode of Irwin Allen’s science fiction series The Time Tunnel airs on ABC, starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. John Crawford, Whit Bissell, and Lee Meriwether geust star.
The Soviet Union launches unmanned space probe Luna 10 toward the moon, where it becomes the moon’s first artificial satellite. Luna 10 remains functional for two months, during which a pre-recorded signal from it becomes one of the highlights of the 23rd Congress of the Soviet Communist Party. Luna 10 does not take photos of the moon from orbit, but does find varying concentrations of mass within the lunar surface. This is the last of the original “large” Luna probes, with later orbiters taking on a more compact form, and later large Luna probes containing landers and sample return rockets.
The 24th episode of Batman airs on ABC. Frank Gorshin guest stars as the Riddler. 
UK broadcaster ATV Midlands airs the 26th episode of Gerry Anderson’s Supermarionation science fiction series Thunderbirds, featuring the voices of Shane Rimmer, David Graham, Sylvia Anderson, Ray Barrett, and Peter Dyneley. This is the first season finale.
Director Stanley Kubrick writes to author Arthur C. Clarke, initiating a lengthy discussion about “the proverbial really good science fiction movie”, a discussion which eventually leads to the movie (and novel) 2001: a space odyssey. Kubrick’s letter mentions that he is particularly interested in exploring the theme of the effects that first contact with an alien race would have on humanity. 
The 58th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Philip Abbott and Bill Mumy (Lost In Space, Babylon 5) star.
CBS premieres the first episode of the anthology series ‘Way Out, hosted by author Roald Dahl. Fritz Weaver and Barnard Hughes (Tron, Mr. Merlin) star in an episode adapted by Dahl from his own short story. Marc Daniels (Star Trek) directs. The series is a mid-season replacement rushed into production by CBS to take over the time slot of a Jackie Gleason game show/talk show that had met with unexpectedly low ratings; the network also considers it a worthy companion piece to The Twilight Zone. This is also Roald Dahl’s first experience (but not his last) translating his work to the screen.
ABC airs the 11th episode of the supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland. Alfred Ryder guest stars.
The 100th episode of The Adventures Of Superman airs in syndication, starring George Reeves, Noel Neill, and Jack Larson.