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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. It features Lee Marvin in front of a high-tech viewscreen, but this is no starship – Gene-ology opens its investigation into a very unusual foray into "true crime" with Gene Roddenberry adapting the particulars of a notorious Seattle murder case into dramatic form. It's also a career milestone for Gene: the last script he would write for a show that he didn't also create. 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 "Queen Anne Killer Unidentified: The Michael Olds Story". 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. 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.
Actor Peter Mayhew, who went from a job as a hospital orderly to co-starring in the Star Wars films as Chewbacca, dies at the age of 74. Following filming on Star Wars, with no way to anticipate the movie’s upcoming blockbuster success, Mayhew returned to his orderly job, continuing that line of work after the filming of both 1980‘s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983‘s Return Of The Jedi, before becoming a full-time fixture at Star Wars and science fiction conventions (and, later, the internet, regaling fans with behind-the-scenes stories both in person and online). He had some prior monster-suit-acting experience before George Lucas hired him for Star Wars, but not enough to amount to a steady stream of work. He reprised the role of Chewie in 2005‘s Revenge Of The Sith and 2015‘s The Force Awakens before handing the Wookiee suit off to former basketball player Joonas Suotamo, but still received a consulting credit for 2017‘s The Last Jedi, coaching Suotamo during filming. He had also put on the Wookiee suit for any number of promotional appearances, playing the character on The Muppet Show and Donny & Marie, as well as the infamous 1978Star Wars Holiday Special, which afforded Chewie a larger role than some of the movies did.
The 44th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Caity Lotz (Mad Men, Legends Of Tomorrow) guest stars.
Syfy airs the 67th episode of the science fiction series Eureka, starring Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and Joe Morton. Debrah Farentino (Earth 2), Ming-Na Wen (Agents Of SHIELD, The Book Of Boba Fett), and Tembi Locke (Sliders) guest star.
Big Finish Productions releases the Doctor Who: The Lost Stories audio drama Thin Ice, audio versions of scripts that were intended for, but never produced by, Doctor Who on television. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred star in a story originally intended for the unmade 1990 season of Doctor Who.
Big Finish Productions releases the sixth 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.
The 206th episode of Stargate SG-1 airs on the Sci-Fi Channel, starring Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black, Beau Bridges, and Michael Shanks.
Big Finish Productions releases the fifth Gallifrey audio drama, a Doctor Who audio spinoff starring Lalla Ward and Louise Jameson. Mary Tamm guest stars in the opening story of the second “season” of the Gallifrey audio series.
The 704th episode of Doctor Who (the sixth since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. Corey Johnson guest stars. This is the first appearance of the Daleks since the series relaunch, and the first episode to establish that the Doctor destroyed both the Daleks and the Time Lords at the end of the Time War.
Big Finish Productions releases the second Doctor Who: Excelis audio drama, a limited series of interconnected stories spanning several of the Doctor’s regenerations. Colin Baker and Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer) star.
The 118th episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on UPN. James Marsters and Alyson Hannigan also star.
Sci-Fi Channel premieres the 37th episode of Lexx. Nigel Bennett (Forever Knight) guest stars as Prince; this episode brings the third season to an end.
The 158th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Garry Shandling and Tea Leoni guest star.
Showtime airs the 97th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Samantha Mathis and David Ogden Stiers (M*A*S*H) guest star.
Art Of Noise, now signed to Chrysalis Records, releases its second album, In Visible Silence. Band members Anne Dudley, J.J. Jeczalik and Gary Langan, having split with founding members Paul Morley and Trevor Horn, continue the group’s sample-heavy sound with a more popular direction, including collaborations with Duane Eddy (on a well-known cover of his 1959 TV theme “Peter Gunn”) and, bizarrely but appropriately, Max Headroom (a.k.a. actor Matt Frewer). The popular instrumental “Legs” also comes from this album.
Magnavox releases the video game cartridge Take The Money And Run! for the Odyssey² video game system, designed and programmed by Ed and Linda Averett. This is a two-player maze game that predates Pac-Man.
The ninth episode of Harold Jack Bloom’s sci-fi series Project UFO airs on NBC, portraying fictionalized investigations into what the show claims are actual cases from the U.S. Air Force’s Project Blue Book investigations. William Jordan and Caskey Swaim star. Eric Braeden (The Young And The Restless, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes) guest stars.
ABC airs the sixth episode of Future Cop, starring Ernest Borgnine (McHale’s Navy), Michael J. Shannon, and John Amos (Good Times). Joan Collins (Dynasty) guest stars. The series is cancelled following the broadcast of this episode, but will reappear a year later as a new pilot for NBC.
The first episode of The Tomorrow People series premieres on British broadcaster ITV. Intended to rival the BBC’s venerable (but aging) Doctor Who, this is part one of a five-part story. Francis de Wolff guest stars.
The 115th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part one of the story now collectively known as The Gunfighters. This is the final Doctor Who serial whose episodes have individual titles.
The fourth episode of the syndicated science fiction Science Fiction Theatre airs on stations across the U.S. Hosted by Truman Bradley, the episode stars Walter Kingsford and DeForest Kelley.
The CW airs the 111th episode of The Flash, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ superhero starring Grant Gustin.
Actor Peter Mayhew, who went from a job as a hospital orderly to co-starring in the Star Wars films as Chewbacca, dies at the age of 74. Following filming on Star Wars, with no way to anticipate the movie’s upcoming blockbuster success, Mayhew returned to his orderly job, continuing that line of work after the filming of both 1980‘s The Empire Strikes Back and 1983‘s Return Of The Jedi, before becoming a full-time fixture at Star Wars and science fiction conventions (and, later, the internet, regaling fans with behind-the-scenes stories both in person and online). He had some prior monster-suit-acting experience before George Lucas hired him for Star Wars, but not enough to amount to a steady stream of work. He reprised the role of Chewie in 2005‘s Revenge Of The Sith and 2015‘s The Force Awakens before handing the Wookiee suit off to former basketball player Joonas Suotamo, but still received a consulting credit for 2017‘s The Last Jedi, coaching Suotamo during filming. He had also put on the Wookiee suit for any number of promotional appearances, playing the character on The Muppet Show and Donny & Marie, as well as the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, which afforded Chewie a larger role than some of the movies did.
The 44th episode of Arrow, a modern-day reboot of DC Comics’ Green Arrow superhero starring Stephen Amell, airs on the CW. Caity Lotz (Mad Men, Legends Of Tomorrow) guest stars.
Syfy airs the 67th episode of the science fiction series Eureka, starring Colin Ferguson, Salli Richardson-Whitfield, and Joe Morton. Debrah Farentino (Earth 2), Ming-Na Wen (Agents Of SHIELD, The Book Of Boba Fett), and Tembi Locke (Sliders) guest star.
Big Finish Productions releases the fourth Doctor Who audio drama in its Fourth Doctor Adventures range, starring Tom Baker and Louise Jameson. 
The 774th episode of Doctor Who (the 76th since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1, guest starring Alex Kingston and Mark Sheppard. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 146th Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Peter Davison, Janet Fielding, Sarah Sutton, and Mark Strickson. 
Big Finish Productions releases the Doctor Who: The Lost Stories audio drama Thin Ice, audio versions of scripts that were intended for, but never produced by, Doctor Who on television. Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred star in a story originally intended for the unmade 1990 season of Doctor Who. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 133rd Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Colin Baker and Frazer Hines. 
Big Finish Productions releases the sixth 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 107th Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Peter Davison and Sarah Sutton. 
The 206th episode of Stargate SG-1 airs on the Sci-Fi Channel, starring Ben Browder, Amanda Tapping, Christopher Judge, Claudia Black, Beau Bridges, and Michael Shanks. 
Big Finish Productions releases the 94th Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Colin Baker. 
Big Finish Productions releases the ninth and final 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 81st Doctor Who audio drama in its main monthly range, starring Peter Davison and Nicola Bryant. 
Big Finish Productions releases the fifth Gallifrey audio drama, a Doctor Who audio spinoff starring Lalla Ward and Louise Jameson. Mary Tamm guest stars in the opening story of the second “season” of the Gallifrey audio series. 
The 704th episode of Doctor Who (the sixth since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. Corey Johnson guest stars. This is the first appearance of the Daleks since the series relaunch, and the first episode to establish that the Doctor destroyed both the Daleks and the Time Lords at the end of the Time War. 
Big Finish Productions releases the third Gallifrey audio drama, a Doctor Who audio spinoff starring Lalla Ward and Louise Jameson. 
The 47th episode of the Star Trek prequel spinoff Enterprise premieres on UPN. Andreas Katsulas (Babylon 5) guest stars in one of his final TV roles prior to his death. 
Big Finish Productions releases the second Doctor Who: Excelis audio drama, a limited series of interconnected stories spanning several of the Doctor’s regenerations. Colin Baker and Anthony Stewart Head (Buffy: The Vampire Slayer) star. 
The 118th episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on UPN. James Marsters and Alyson Hannigan also star.
The 86th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Robert Leeshock, Jayne Heitmeyer, and Von Flores.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 129th episode of Xena: Warrior Princess, starring Lucy Lawless and Renee O’Connor. 
Sci-Fi Channel premieres the 37th episode of Lexx. Nigel Bennett (Forever Knight) guest stars as Prince; this episode brings the third season to an end. 
The 158th episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny. Garry Shandling and Tea Leoni guest star.
Showtime airs the 97th episode of The Outer Limits, a revival of the 1960s science fiction anthology series. Samantha Mathis and David Ogden Stiers (M*A*S*H) guest star.
UPN airs the 64th episode of Star Trek: Voyager. 
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 68th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Dwight Schultz (The A-Team) guest stars. 
Art Of Noise, now signed to Chrysalis Records, releases its second album, In Visible Silence. Band members Anne Dudley, J.J. Jeczalik and Gary Langan, having split with founding members Paul Morley and Trevor Horn, continue the group’s sample-heavy sound with a more popular direction, including collaborations with Duane Eddy (on a well-known cover of his 1959 TV theme “Peter Gunn”) and, bizarrely but appropriately, Max Headroom (a.k.a. actor Matt Frewer). The popular instrumental “Legs” also comes from this album. 
ITV airs the 73rd episode of the anthology series Tales Of The Unexpected. Hugh Fraser guest stars.
Magnavox releases the video game cartridge Take The Money And Run! for the Odyssey² video game system, designed and programmed by Ed and Linda Averett. This is a two-player maze game that predates Pac-Man. 
The ninth episode of Harold Jack Bloom’s sci-fi series Project UFO airs on NBC, portraying fictionalized investigations into what the show claims are actual cases from the U.S. Air Force’s Project Blue Book investigations. William Jordan and Caskey Swaim star. Eric Braeden (The Young And The Restless, Escape From The Planet Of The Apes) guest stars.
ABC airs the sixth episode of Future Cop, starring Ernest Borgnine (McHale’s Navy), Michael J. Shannon, and John Amos (Good Times). Joan Collins (Dynasty) guest stars. The series is cancelled following the broadcast of this episode, but will reappear a year later as a new pilot for NBC. 
The third episode of Terry Nation’s post-apocalyptic series Survivors airs on BBC1. 
The first episode of The Tomorrow People series premieres on British broadcaster ITV. Intended to rival the BBC’s venerable (but aging) Doctor Who, this is part one of a five-part story. Francis de Wolff guest stars. 
The 115th episode of Doctor Who airs on the BBC. This is part one of the story now collectively known as The Gunfighters. This is the final Doctor Who serial whose episodes have individual titles. 
The 54th episode of The Adventures Of Superman airs in syndication, starring George Reeves, Noel Neill, and Jack Larson. Billy Nelson guest stars.
The fourth episode of the syndicated science fiction Science Fiction Theatre airs on stations across the U.S. Hosted by Truman Bradley, the episode stars Walter Kingsford and DeForest Kelley.