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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.
Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden dies at the age of 88. As the mission’s command module pilot, he was the only member of Apollo 15’s crew to not walk on the moon, though he does still hold the distinction of performing the furthest spacewalk from Earth, when he retrieved film cannisters from the body of the service module, requiring him to suit up and venture outside the vehicle while it was roughly halfway on its journey from the moon back to Earth. With the other members of the crew, he was embroiled in a seemingly minor scandal involving space-flown postal covers that turned out to almost be a career-ender once the astronauts were back on Earth; he made the jump to NASA’s Ames Research Center rather than returning to the Air Force, where he had been a past instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilot School, reporting directly to Colonel Chuck Yeager. After retiring from NASA, he made an unsuccessful run for Congress in 1982, and continued promoting the space program and science education.
The 154th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Katrina Law (Spartacus) guest stars.
The 62nd episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) and Katrina Law (Spartacus) guest star.
A two-part Doctor Who sketch airs as part of the BBC’s Comic Relief telethon. Featuring only series regulars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, the mini-adventure runs around eight minutes in length.
The short Doctor Who sketch Space / Time, starring Matt Smith, Karel Gillan and Arthur Darvill, airs during the BBC’s annual Comic Relief charity telethon.
The Sci-Fi Channel officially announces that it will be producing a new Babylon 5 movie in 2001, tentatively titled Babylon 5: The Legend Of The Rangers, set three years after the events of Babylon 5’s fifth season, as the Anla’shok try to restore peace and order to the war-torn galaxy. Members of the Babylon 5 cast may appear in the movie – which is confirmed as a pilot for a potential new series with the same premise – but the cast will consist largely of new faces. Douglas Netter and creator J. Michael Straczynski will serve as executive producers.
Capitol Records releases the 2-CD set The Beatles Anthology, Volume 2, gathering rarities, outtakes, and live cuts from the Beatles’ mid-1960s heydey. The new single “Real Love”, built around a John Lennon home demo recording, leads off this collection.
The third episode of George Lucas’ historical adventure series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles airs on ABC, starring Corey Carrier. James Gammon guest stars in an episode written by Matthew Jacobs (Doctor Who).
CBS airs the 20th episode of Ron Koslow’s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast, starring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Roy Dotrice. James Avery and Armin Shimermaan guest star.
ABC airs the third episode of the cop show spoof Police Squad, in color, starring Leslie Nielsen and created by the Zucker-Abrams-Zucker team behind the hit movie Airplane! Robert Goulet and Tommy LaSorda guest star.
ABC premieres the movie-length first episode of Stephen J. Cannell’s superhero comedy series The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp. Michael Paré and Faye Grant (V) guest star.
The 315th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Roger Delgado and Clive Morton guest star. This is the first appearance of the Sea Devils, identified here as an offshoot of the Silurian species.
BBC2 airs the 36th episode of science fiction anthology series Out Of The Unknown. Adapted by Clive Exton from a story by Clifford D. Simak, this script was previously used in the 1962 anthology series Out Of This World. This episode no longer exists in the BBC’s archives.
The 28th episode of the spy-fi series Adam Adamant Lives! airs on BBC1, starring Gerald Harper and Juliet Harmer. Along with much of the rest of the second season, this episode is missing from the BBC’s archives.
Voskhod 2 is launched by the Soviet Union, this time with only a two-man crew for a very specific mission. Cosmonauts Pavel Belyaev and Alexei Leonov orbit Earth for 28 hours, but during one orbit an airlock is extended from the side of their Voskhod capsule and Leonov squeezes through the airlock tunnel in a spacesuit, becoming the first human being to exit his spacecraft in flight. He spends 10 minutes walking in space, but this Soviet space first nearly ends badly; Leonov’s suit “inflates” as a result of pressurization, making it extremely difficult to enter the vehicle again (and nearly overexerting him in the process of getting back inside). A guidance system malfunction forces Belyaev to manually control the vehicle during reentry and descent, but Voskhod 2’s crew capsule lands over 700 miles away from Moscow in a remote wilderness in the dead of winter, and the cosmonauts wait hours for a recovery team to rescue them via helicopter.
The tenth episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This episode is now missing from the archives, but will be recreated in audio form in the 21st century by Big Finish Productions.
Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden dies at the age of 88. As the mission’s command module pilot, he was the only member of Apollo 15’s crew to not walk on the moon, though he does still hold the distinction of performing the furthest spacewalk from Earth, when he retrieved film cannisters from the body of the service module, requiring him to suit up and venture outside the vehicle while it was roughly halfway on its journey from the moon back to Earth. With the other members of the crew, he was embroiled in a seemingly minor scandal involving space-flown postal covers that turned out to almost be a career-ender once the astronauts were back on Earth; he made the jump to NASA’s Ames Research Center rather than returning to the Air Force, where he had been a past instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilot School, reporting directly to Colonel Chuck Yeager. After retiring from NASA, he made an unsuccessful run for Congress in 1982, and continued promoting the space program and science education.
The 154th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Katrina Law (Spartacus) guest stars.
Cable channel Disney XD airs the 54th episode of the series Star Wars: Rebels. Sam Witwer (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars. 
A two-part Doctor Who sketch airs as part of the BBC’s Comic Relief telethon. Featuring only series regulars Matt Smith, Karen Gillan and Arthur Darvill, the mini-adventure runs around eight minutes in length.
The short Doctor Who sketch Space / Time, starring Matt Smith, Karel Gillan and Arthur Darvill, airs during the BBC’s annual Comic Relief charity telethon. 
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 52nd episode of Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. Mark Sheppard guest stars. 
Sci-Fi channel airs the 11th episode of Ronald D. Moore’s re-imagining of Battlestar Galactica. Richard Hatch, Alex Zahara (Jeremiah) and Kate Vernon guest star. 
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 18th episode of Stargate Atlantis. Christopher Heyerdahl (Sanctuary) guest stars. 
The 172nd episode of Stargate SG-1 airs on the Sci-Fi Channel, starring Richard Dean Anderson, Amanda Tapping, Michael Shanks, and Christopher Judge. 
The soundtracks from the 1980 Doctor Who stories Meglos and Full Circle are released on a CD, including a selection of contemporary sound effects by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. 
Peter Howell‘s soundtrack from the 1980 Doctor Who story The Leisure Hive is released in its entirety on CD, including a selection of contemporary sound effects by the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. 
The Sci-Fi Channel officially announces that it will be producing a new Babylon 5 movie in 2001, tentatively titled Babylon 5: The Legend Of The Rangers, set three years after the events of Babylon 5’s fifth season, as the Anla’shok try to restore peace and order to the war-torn galaxy. Members of the Babylon 5 cast may appear in the movie – which is confirmed as a pilot for a potential new series with the same premise – but the cast will consist largely of new faces. Douglas Netter and creator J. Michael Straczynski will serve as executive producers.
The 49th episode of the science fiction comedy Red Dwarf airs on BBC 2. The appeal! 
Cable channel TNT premieres the 97th episode of J. Michael Straczynski’s science fiction series Babylon 5. 
Epic Records releases Ben Folds Five’s second album, Whatever And Ever Amen, featuring the single “Brick”. 
Rhino releases the album The Simpsons: Songs In The Key Of Springfield, a collection of songs (many composed by Alf Clausen) from the animated TV series The Simpsons. 
The 19th episode of Lawrence Hertzog’s paranoid spy-fi thriller Nowhere Man, starring Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek), airs on UPN.
UPN airs the 36th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. 
Capitol Records releases the 2-CD set The Beatles Anthology, Volume 2, gathering rarities, outtakes, and live cuts from the Beatles’ mid-1960s heydey. The new single “Real Love”, built around a John Lennon home demo recording, leads off this collection. 
The 18th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny.
The third episode of George Lucas’ historical adventure series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles airs on ABC, starring Corey Carrier. James Gammon guest stars in an episode written by Matthew Jacobs (Doctor Who).
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 90th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whoopi Goldberg, John Vickery (Babylon 5) and Brian Tochi (Space Academy) guest star. 
Arista Records releases the Eurythmics compilation Greatest Hits. 
The 19th episode of the syndicated Alexander and Ilya Salkind-produced Superboy series, starring John Haymes Newton and Stacy Haiduk, airs.
The 61st episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs in syndication. Karen Valentine (Room 222) stars.
CBS airs the 20th episode of Ron Koslow’s fantasy series Beauty and the Beast, starring Linda Hamilton, Ron Perlman, and Roy Dotrice. James Avery and Armin Shimermaan guest star.
ABC airs the third episode of the cop show spoof Police Squad, in color, starring Leslie Nielsen and created by the Zucker-Abrams-Zucker team behind the hit movie Airplane! Robert Goulet and Tommy LaSorda guest star. 
ABC premieres the movie-length first episode of Stephen J. Cannell’s superhero comedy series The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp. Michael Paré and Faye Grant (V) guest star.
The 19th episode of Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Battlestar Galactica airs on ABC. 
The 20th episode of The Tomorrow People is broadcast on ITV. Sylvia Coleridge guest stars. 
The ninth episode of The Sixth Sense airs on ABC, starring Gary Collins. Mariette Hartley guest stars.
The 315th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Roger Delgado and Clive Morton guest star. This is the first appearance of the Sea Devils, identified here as an offshoot of the Silurian species.
BBC2 airs the 36th episode of science fiction anthology series Out Of The Unknown. Adapted by Clive Exton from a story by Clifford D. Simak, this script was previously used in the 1962 anthology series Out Of This World. This episode no longer exists in the BBC’s archives.
The 154th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This episode is now missing from the BBC’s archives.
British broadcaster ABC airs the 114th episode of the spy-fi series The Avengers, starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. Christopher Lee guest stars.
The 28th episode of the spy-fi series Adam Adamant Lives! airs on BBC1, starring Gerald Harper and Juliet Harmer. Along with much of the rest of the second season, this episode is missing from the BBC’s archives.
Voskhod 2 is launched by the Soviet Union, this time with only a two-man crew for a very specific mission. Cosmonauts Pavel Belyaev and Alexei Leonov orbit Earth for 28 hours, but during one orbit an airlock is extended from the side of their Voskhod capsule and Leonov squeezes through the airlock tunnel in a spacesuit, becoming the first human being to exit his spacecraft in flight. He spends 10 minutes walking in space, but this Soviet space first nearly ends badly; Leonov’s suit “inflates” as a result of pressurization, making it extremely difficult to enter the vehicle again (and nearly overexerting him in the process of getting back inside). A guidance system malfunction forces Belyaev to manually control the vehicle during reentry and descent, but Voskhod 2’s crew capsule lands over 700 miles away from Moscow in a remote wilderness in the dead of winter, and the cosmonauts wait hours for a recovery team to rescue them via helicopter.
The tenth episode of Sydney Newman’s spy series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, airs on UK broadcaster ABC. This episode is now missing from the archives, but will be recreated in audio form in the 21st century by Big Finish Productions.
The 24th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Kevin McCarthy and Estelle Winwood star in an episode written by Charles Beaumont.