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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 14th 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 Ito Aghayere guest star.
A very brief untitled extra scene following on from the season finale of Star Trek: Discovery is made available on YouTube by CBS All Access, starring Michelle Yeoh and Alan Van Sprang in a setup for a storyline in Discovery’s second season. The short scene also serves as a trial run for an upcoming series of short stories set in the Star Trek universe, Short Treks, which will debut later in 2018.
The 16th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin, airs on the CW. Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) guest stars.
Bridging the gap between Star Wars Episode II and Episode III, Cartoon Network airs the 24th mini-episode of Genndy Tartakovsky’s The Clone Wars animated shorts.
The fourth 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; Musetta Vander guest stars.
The 62nd episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Larry Poindexter and Daniel Roebuck guest star.
The third episode of the science fiction series VR.5 airs on Fox, starring Lori Singer (Fame) and Michael Easton (Total Recall 2070). David McCallum (The Man From UNCLE, The Invisible Man, NCIS) and Louise Fletcher (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest star.
Astronomers on Earth discover a comet like none seen before: having flown close to Jupiter in July 1992, the comet has broken into multiple pieces in a configuration that its discoverers call “a string of pearls.” Calculations of the orbit of the newly detected comet, named Shoemaker-Levy 9 after the team that discovered it, reveal something stunning: the orbit of the fragments will bring them back to Jupiter in just over a year, at which point they are expected to collide with the planet rather than pass it by or go into orbit. Not only does this give Earth-based astronomers time to coordinate observations, but NASA has an ace in the hole: the entire event will be witnessed by the unmanned Galileo probe as it makes its final approach to the giant planet.
The 39th episode of the science fiction crime drama Super Force is broadcast in syndication in North America, starring Ken Olandt, Larry B. Scott, and Patrick Macnee (The Avengers). Wrestler Kevin Nash guest stars.
NASA launches Space Shuttle Atlantis on the 46th shuttle mission, carrying the Spacelab-based ATLAS (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science) experiment module. Aboard Atlantis for the nearly-nine-day flight are Commander Charles Bolden, Pilot Brian Duffy, Payload Commander Kathyrn Sullivan, mission specialists David Leestma and Michael Foale, and payload specialists Byron Lichtenberg and Dirk Frimout. NASA extends the mission by one day to accomodate additional experiments.
ABC airs the 26th episode of Stephen J. Cannell’s superhero comedy series The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp. Marc Alaimo (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest stars.
After an extremely short development period and industry insider warnings that the finished product wasn’t ready for prime time, Atari releases Tod Frye’s home version of Pac-Man for the Atari VCS, selling record numbers… and, within weeks, becomes the subject of bad word-of-mouth and critical slams on its weak game play and graphics. At the urging of Atari CEO Ray Kassar, Pac-Man‘s print run exceeds the number of VCS consoles sold to date, since it’s anticipated that the Pac-crazed public will buy the console simply because Pac-Man is available for it.
ITV premieres the first episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. José Ferrer and Cyril Luckham guest star.
The sixth episode of the short-lived NBC series The Fantastic Journey premieres. Varian hangs up his traveling shoes to get married; his bride, naturally, doesn’t survive to the end of the episode.
The 23rd 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.) Carol Lynley (The Night Stalker, The Poseidon Adventure) guest stars.
The 342nd 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.
Having completed its purchase of Desilu Studios, Paramount runs the first print advertisement in Vol. 76, Issue 12 of Broadcasting Magazine, offering Star Trek reruns in syndication. Even though the last episode has yet to air on NBC, it is perhaps telling that the ad promises a set number of “79 episodes of constant quality, now being seen in over 65 countries around the world” – confirmation that there will be no further episodes beyond the current season.
The 109th episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Chris Robinson guest stars.
The 28th episode of Irwin Allen’s science fiction series The Time Tunnel airs on ABC, starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. Michael Ansara, Whit Bissell, and Lee Meriwether geust star.
The 22nd episode of Batman airs on ABC. Burgess Meredith guest stars as the Penguin. (This is part two of a two-part story; each week’s story unfolds in two half-hour episodes on Monday and Tuesday.)
UK broadcaster ATV Midlands airs the 25th 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.
In the journal Science, Carl Sagan proposes an audacious scheme to alter the chemistry of the atmosphere of Venus, making it habitable for humans. His plan involves depositing algae colonies into the planet’s clouds to begin converting the planet’s carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen, and the idea is years ahead of its time (and will later prove to be impractical when more direct studies are made of the Venusian atmosphere).
Streaming service Paramount+ debuts the 14th 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 Ito Aghayere guest star. 
A very brief untitled extra scene following on from the season finale of Star Trek: Discovery is made available on YouTube by CBS All Access, starring Michelle Yeoh and Alan Van Sprang in a setup for a storyline in Discovery’s second season. The short scene also serves as a trial run for an upcoming series of short stories set in the Star Trek universe, Short Treks, which will debut later in 2018. 
The 16th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin, airs on the CW. Wentworth Miller (Prison Break) guest stars.
Bridging the gap between Star Wars Episode II and Episode III, Cartoon Network airs the 24th mini-episode of Genndy Tartakovsky’s The Clone Wars animated shorts. 
Sci-Fi Channel premieres the 24th episode of Farscape. 
UPN airs the 112th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. Ray Walston (My Favorite Martian) guest stars. 
Joseph Lo Duca’s soundtrack from the Xena: Warrior Princess musical episode The Bitter Suite is released on Varese Sarabande Records. 
The fourth 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; Musetta Vander guest stars.
Fox premieres the 18th episode of the military science fiction series Space: Above And Beyond. Martin Jarvis (Titanic) guest stars. 
The 62nd episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Larry Poindexter and Daniel Roebuck guest star.
The third episode of the science fiction series VR.5 airs on Fox, starring Lori Singer (Fame) and Michael Easton (Total Recall 2070). David McCallum (The Man From UNCLE, The Invisible Man, NCIS) and Louise Fletcher (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest star.
Astronomers on Earth discover a comet like none seen before: having flown close to Jupiter in July 1992, the comet has broken into multiple pieces in a configuration that its discoverers call “a string of pearls.” Calculations of the orbit of the newly detected comet, named Shoemaker-Levy 9 after the team that discovered it, reveal something stunning: the orbit of the fragments will bring them back to Jupiter in just over a year, at which point they are expected to collide with the planet rather than pass it by or go into orbit. Not only does this give Earth-based astronomers time to coordinate observations, but NASA has an ace in the hole: the entire event will be witnessed by the unmanned Galileo probe as it makes its final approach to the giant planet.
The sixth and final episode of Russell T. Davies’ supernatural drama Century Falls airs on CBBC. 
The 39th episode of the science fiction crime drama Super Force is broadcast in syndication in North America, starring Ken Olandt, Larry B. Scott, and Patrick Macnee (The Avengers). Wrestler Kevin Nash guest stars.
NASA launches Space Shuttle Atlantis on the 46th shuttle mission, carrying the Spacelab-based ATLAS (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science) experiment module. Aboard Atlantis for the nearly-nine-day flight are Commander Charles Bolden, Pilot Brian Duffy, Payload Commander Kathyrn Sullivan, mission specialists David Leestma and Michael Foale, and payload specialists Byron Lichtenberg and Dirk Frimout. NASA extends the mission by one day to accomodate additional experiments.
Imagic releases the No Escape! cartridge for the Atari 2600 home video game system. 
Activision releases Dracula for the Intellivision home video game system, one of numerous Imagic titles exclusive to that system. 
ABC airs the 26th episode of Stephen J. Cannell’s superhero comedy series The Greatest American Hero, starring William Katt, Connie Sellecca, and Robert Culp. Marc Alaimo (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) guest stars.
After an extremely short development period and industry insider warnings that the finished product wasn’t ready for prime time, Atari releases Tod Frye’s home version of Pac-Man for the Atari VCS, selling record numbers… and, within weeks, becomes the subject of bad word-of-mouth and critical slams on its weak game play and graphics. At the urging of Atari CEO Ray Kassar, Pac-Man‘s print run exceeds the number of VCS consoles sold to date, since it’s anticipated that the Pac-crazed public will buy the console simply because Pac-Man is available for it. 
BBC1 premieres the 38th episode of Terry Nation’s science fiction series Blake’s 7. 
ITV premieres the first episode of Roald Dahl’s anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected, hosted by the author himself and adapted from his short stories. José Ferrer and Cyril Luckham guest star.
The sixth episode of Buck Henry’s science fiction spoof Quark premieres on NBC. Joan Van Ark (Knots Landing) guest stars. 
The fifth 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. Jeremy Brett (Sherlock Holmes), Loni Anderson (WKRP In Cincinnati) and Deanna Lund (Land Of The Giants) guest star. 
The sixth episode of the short-lived NBC series The Fantastic Journey premieres. Varian hangs up his traveling shoes to get married; his bride, naturally, doesn’t survive to the end of the episode. 
The eighth episode of The Bionic Woman, starring Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, airs on ABC. Barbara Rush guest stars.
The 23rd 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.) Carol Lynley (The Night Stalker, The Poseidon Adventure) guest stars.
The 342nd 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.
Having completed its purchase of Desilu Studios, Paramount runs the first print advertisement in Vol. 76, Issue 12 of Broadcasting Magazine, offering Star Trek reruns in syndication. Even though the last episode has yet to air on NBC, it is perhaps telling that the ad promises a set number of “79 episodes of constant quality, now being seen in over 65 countries around the world” – confirmation that there will be no further episodes beyond the current season.
The 109th episode of Irwin Allen’s adventure series Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea airs on ABC, starring Richard Basehart and David Hedison. Chris Robinson guest stars.
The 28th episode of Irwin Allen’s science fiction series The Time Tunnel airs on ABC, starring James Darren and Robert Colbert. Michael Ansara, Whit Bissell, and Lee Meriwether geust star.
The 22nd episode of Batman airs on ABC. Burgess Meredith guest stars as the Penguin. (This is part two of a two-part story; each week’s story unfolds in two half-hour episodes on Monday and Tuesday.) 
UK broadcaster ATV Midlands airs the 25th 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.
The 57th episode of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs on CBS. Dane Clark and Buddy Ebsen (The Beverly Hillbillies) star.
In the journal Science, Carl Sagan proposes an audacious scheme to alter the chemistry of the atmosphere of Venus, making it habitable for humans. His plan involves depositing algae colonies into the planet’s clouds to begin converting the planet’s carbon dioxide into breathable oxygen, and the idea is years ahead of its time (and will later prove to be impractical when more direct studies are made of the Venusian atmosphere).
ABC airs the tenth episode of the supernatural anthology series One Step Beyond, hosted and directed by John Newland. Pernell Roberts guest stars.
The 99th episode of The Adventures Of Superman airs in syndication, starring George Reeves, Noel Neill, and Jack Larson.