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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. To fans, they were the Great Bird of the Galaxy and the First Lady of Star Trek. To their friends and co-workers, Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry were, perhaps, slightly less mythic figures with their own very human quirks, but still beloved and admired. In this panel from the TrekTalks 5 telethon in support of the Hollywood Food Coalition, Gene and Majel are remembered by those who knew them. Podcast hosted by Earl Green & Ashley Thomas TrekTalks panel hosted by John Champion Panel guests: Fred Bronson, Denise Crosby, Ernie Over, Rod Roddenberry 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 Memories of Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry from those who knew and worked with them 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 CBS All Access premieres the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery, starring Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead) and Jason Isaacs (the Harry Potter movies’ Lucius Malfoy). Rekha Sharma (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars.
The short Doctor Who story Death Is The Only Answer, starring Matt Smith, airs during Doctor Who Confidential. The story was written by the winners of a Doctor Who Confidential writing competition.
The 785th episode of Doctor Who (the 87th since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. Alex Kingston, Frances Barber and Simon Callow guest star. This episode brings the revived series’ sixth season to a close.
The twelfth full-time crew of the International Space Station lifts off from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard Soyuz TMA-7. Valery Tokarev and William McArthur take up residence on the ISS for 189 days. Arriving with them on the ISS for a nine-day stay is space tourist and entrepreneur Gregory Olsen, who personally funded his own trip aboard the Soyuz and returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-6 with the Expedition 11 crew.
The 124th episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on UPN. James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, and Alyson Hannigan also star.
The 89th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Jayne Heitmeyer, Von Flores, Melinda Deines, and Alan Van Sprang. This is the fifth season premiere.
The fan-produced Doctor Who video production Auton 3 is released by BBV, continuing the story of the earlier Auton video releases. Though not a BBC-sanctioned production, thanks to the specifics of UK copyright law, the producers are able to license the Autons from the estate of their creator, Robert Holmes, to commercially release the video on tape and DVD.
The fan-produced Doctor Who video production Auton 2: Sentinel is released by BBV, continuing the story of the earlier Auton video release. Though not a BBC-sanctioned production, thanks to the specifics of UK copyright law, the producers are able to license the Autons from the estate of their creator, Robert Holmes, to commercially release the video on tape and DVD.
The fan-produced Doctor Who video production Auton is released by BBV. Though not a BBC-sanctioned production, thanks to the specifics of UK copyright law, the producers are able to license the Autons from the estate of their creator, Robert Holmes, to commercially release the video on tape and DVD.
The 46th episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Patrick Labyorteaux (JAG, Little House On The Prairie) guest stars.
The fourth episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and guest starring Michael Cavanaugh (Starman).
Fox airs the sixth episode of the sci-fi western, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., starring Bruce Campbell, Julius Carry, and Christian Clemenson. Kelly Rutherford (Melrose Place) and Xander Berkeley guest star.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 75th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whoopi Goldberg, Theodore Bikel and Jeremy Kemp guest star in an episode that, for the first time in the Star Trek franchise, has no scenes on the bridge of the Enterprise.
Nintendo releases the Dr. Mario cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System, giving everyone’s favorite Mushroom Kingdom plumper a medical degree and pitting him against viruses and germs, Tetris-style.
CBS airs the third episode of the animated series Superman, starring the voices of Beau Weaver and Ginny McSwain, and comprised of two stories: By The Skin Of The Dragon’s Teeth and At The Babysitter’s.
Electronic Arts releases Will Harvey’s Music Construction Set for the Apple II (versions will follow for other systems, such as the Atari home computers and Commodore 64, but the Apple II version is the first released, with users advised that the software works best with the Mockingboard music and audio peripheral).
NBC airs the 19th episode of the Marvel animated series Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends, starring the voices of Dan Gilvezan, Kathy Garver, and Frank Welker.
The third episode of the science fiction series The Powers Of Matthew Star airs on NBC, starring Peter Barton and Louis Gossett Jr. Bill Daily (I Dream of Jeannie) guest stars.
Atari releases the home version of the arcade hit Berzerk as a cartridge for the Atari VCS home video game system. Almost a dead ringer for the graphically simple arcade game, the console port is only missing the distinctive Cylon-esque voice synthesis of the coin-op. The second issue of the Atari Force comic from fellow Warner Communications subsidiary DC Comics is packed-in with Berzerk.
A musical ode to video gaming starts climbing the charts as Buckner & Garcia issue their single Pac-Man Fever (a full album, filled out with other video game tribute songs, will follow in 1982). Shortly before the album’s release, the “Pac-Man Fever” single peaks in the Billboard Hot 100 at #9, having sold over a million copies.
The 21st episode of Star Blazers, an English rewrite and dub of the 1974 anime series Space Battleship Yamato, premieres in syndication across the U.S.
Fed up with Atari’s refusal to grant them bylines on the best-selling games they’ve been designing and programming for the Atari VCS, Atari employees Alan Miller, David Crane, Larry Kaplan and Bob Whitehead quit their jobs and form the first third-party video game software house, Activision, with former music executive Jim Levy aboard as the new company’s CEO. Infuriated, Atari files a raft of lawsuits alleging theft of trade secrets, but is ultimately unable to get an injunction preventing Activision from releasing games for the VCS.
The fourth episode of Filmation’s Saturday morning science fiction series Space Academy airs on CBS. A combatant from a mostly forgotten war is discovered, and he’s still in a mood to fight.
The 40th episode of The Bionic Woman, starring Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, airs on NBC. James Olson (The Andromeda Strain) and Melinda Fee (The Invisible Man) guest star.
Produced in the wake of Star Wars mania, Meco Menardo’s disco cover of John Williams’ music from Star Wars tops the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. A shortened, radio-friendly single is the song certified as #1, although the album version (titled Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk) is an extended suite lasting over 15 minutes and covering most of the movie’s major music themes. Meco would continue to ride the Star Wars train, disco-style, for years to come.
NBC airs the 31st episode of Night Gallery, an anthology series of original short plays and short story adaptations hosted by Rod Serling. James Farentino, John Astin, and Joanna Pettet guest star.
The first episode of the animated science fiction series Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman airs on Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV. A creation of Tatsunoko Studios (Astro Boy), the series follows five young people with superpowers defending the world from the machinations of the sinister Galactus organization. This series will later be heavily edited – primarily for violence – and dubbed into English as Battle Of The Planets.
The National Weather Service’s NOAA Weather Radio system finally finds its purpose with the introduction of a piercing “warning tone” preceding emergency weather announcements such as severe weather warnings. Manufacturers of weather radio receivers (an item which hit the market in 1970) use the five-second burst of 1050Hz warning tone to trigger attention-grabbing alert sounds and then activate the radio so the relevant information can be heard. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts on 29 stations around the country, and the agency continues to bring new transmitters online throughout the year.
ABC airs the second episode of the modern-day science fiction series The Immortal, starring Christopher George. Ross Martin (The Wild Wild West) guest stars.
Streaming service CBS All Access premieres the third episode of Star Trek: Discovery, starring Sonequa Martin-Green (The Walking Dead) and Jason Isaacs (the Harry Potter movies’ Lucius Malfoy). Rekha Sharma (Battlestar Galactica) guest stars. 
Cable channel Disney XD airs the 37th episode of the series Star Wars: Rebels. Tom Baker (Doctor Who) and Sam Witwer (Battlestar Galactica) guest star. 
The short Doctor Who story Death Is The Only Answer, starring Matt Smith, airs during Doctor Who Confidential. The story was written by the winners of a Doctor Who Confidential writing competition. 
The 785th episode of Doctor Who (the 87th since the series’ revival) airs on BBC1. Alex Kingston, Frances Barber and Simon Callow guest star. This episode brings the revived series’ sixth season to a close. 
The fourth episode of the The Sarah Jane Adventures premieres on BBC iPlayer, the first half of a two-part storyline. 
The twelfth full-time crew of the International Space Station lifts off from Russia’s Baikonur Cosmodrome aboard Soyuz TMA-7. Valery Tokarev and William McArthur take up residence on the ISS for 189 days. Arriving with them on the ISS for a nine-day stay is space tourist and entrepreneur Gregory Olsen, who personally funded his own trip aboard the Soyuz and returns to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-6 with the Expedition 11 crew.
The 55th episode of the prequel spinoff Star Trek: Enterprise airs on UPN. 
The 124th episode of Joss Whedon’s supernatural series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, airs on UPN. James Marsters, Anthony Stewart Head, and Alyson Hannigan also star.
The 89th episode of Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict, airs in syndication, starring Jayne Heitmeyer, Von Flores, Melinda Deines, and Alan Van Sprang. This is the fifth season premiere.
The fan-produced Doctor Who video production Auton 3 is released by BBV, continuing the story of the earlier Auton video releases. Though not a BBC-sanctioned production, thanks to the specifics of UK copyright law, the producers are able to license the Autons from the estate of their creator, Robert Holmes, to commercially release the video on tape and DVD. 
Sci-Fi Channel airs the 83rd episode of the science fiction series Sliders, starring Cleavant Derricks, Kari Wuhrer, Robert Floyd, and Tembi Locke.
The fan-produced Doctor Who video production Auton 2: Sentinel is released by BBV, continuing the story of the earlier Auton video release. Though not a BBC-sanctioned production, thanks to the specifics of UK copyright law, the producers are able to license the Autons from the estate of their creator, Robert Holmes, to commercially release the video on tape and DVD. 
Pocket Books releases the “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Technical Manual”, written and illustrated by the series’ art and design staff members. 
Supertracks releases an expanded limited edition of James Horner’s soundtrack from the 1983 movie Krull. As with other SuperTracks releases, the release has been approved by the composer, but not by the studio. 
Baen Books publishes the eighth novel in the Honor Harrington series, “Echoes Of Honor” by David Weber. 
The fan-produced Doctor Who video production Auton is released by BBV. Though not a BBC-sanctioned production, thanks to the specifics of UK copyright law, the producers are able to license the Autons from the estate of their creator, Robert Holmes, to commercially release the video on tape and DVD. 
UPN airs the 72nd episode of Star Trek: Voyager. 
Fox premieres Farthest Man From Home, the second episode of Space: Above And Beyond. French Stewart (Third Rock From The Sun) guest stars. 
The 46th episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures Of Superman airs on ABC, starring Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher. Patrick Labyorteaux (JAG, Little House On The Prairie) guest stars.
Baen Books publishes the fourth novel in the Honor Harrington series, “Field Of Dishonor” by David Weber. 
The fourth episode of Chris Carter’s modern-day science fiction series The X-Files airs on Fox, starring Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny, and guest starring Michael Cavanaugh (Starman).
Fox airs the sixth episode of the sci-fi western, The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr., starring Bruce Campbell, Julius Carry, and Christian Clemenson. Kelly Rutherford (Melrose Place) and Xander Berkeley guest star.
The week-long national syndication window opens for the 75th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Whoopi Goldberg, Theodore Bikel and Jeremy Kemp guest star in an episode that, for the first time in the Star Trek franchise, has no scenes on the bridge of the Enterprise. 
Nintendo releases the Dr. Mario cartridge for the Nintendo Entertainment System, giving everyone’s favorite Mushroom Kingdom plumper a medical degree and pitting him against viruses and germs, Tetris-style. 
CBS airs the third episode of the animated series Superman, starring the voices of Beau Weaver and Ginny McSwain, and comprised of two stories: By The Skin Of The Dragon’s Teeth and At The Babysitter’s. 
The 37th episode of a revival of Rod Serling’s The Twilight Zone airs in syndication. Marc Singer (V) stars.
The 15th episode of Black Adder airs on BBC1, starring Rowan Atkinson. Chris Barrie (Red Dwarf) guest stars. 
The Minnesota Educational Computing Corporation releases a new version of the perennial favorite educational computer game The Oregon Trail for the Apple II computer. Now featuring more action-based sequences than purely textual interactions, this version of The Oregon Trail is the most recognizable iteration of the game, which will be ported to numerous other computer systems. 
Electronic Arts releases Will Harvey’s Music Construction Set for the Apple II (versions will follow for other systems, such as the Atari home computers and Commodore 64, but the Apple II version is the first released, with users advised that the software works best with the Mockingboard music and audio peripheral). 
NBC airs the 19th episode of the Marvel animated series Spider-Man And His Amazing Friends, starring the voices of Dan Gilvezan, Kathy Garver, and Frank Welker.
Atari, under its Atarisoft imprint, releases the Apple II port of Dig Dug. 
Atari, under its Atarisoft imprint, releases the Apple II port of Robotron: 2084. 
Atari, under its Atarisoft imprint, releases the Apple II port of Pac-Man, largely reusing the code of the earlier H.A.L. Labs title Taxman. 
The third episode of the science fiction series The Powers Of Matthew Star airs on NBC, starring Peter Barton and Louis Gossett Jr. Bill Daily (I Dream of Jeannie) guest stars.
Atari releases the home version of the arcade hit Berzerk as a cartridge for the Atari VCS home video game system. Almost a dead ringer for the graphically simple arcade game, the console port is only missing the distinctive Cylon-esque voice synthesis of the coin-op. The second issue of the Atari Force comic from fellow Warner Communications subsidiary DC Comics is packed-in with Berzerk. 
A musical ode to video gaming starts climbing the charts as Buckner & Garcia issue their single Pac-Man Fever (a full album, filled out with other video game tribute songs, will follow in 1982). Shortly before the album’s release, the “Pac-Man Fever” single peaks in the Billboard Hot 100 at #9, having sold over a million copies.
Mushroom Records releases The Swingers’ album Counting The Beat; the band is led by founding Split Enz frontman Phil Judd. 
The 39th episode of Star Blazers, an English rewrite and dub of the 1974 anime series Space Battleship Yamato, airs in syndication across the U.S. 
The 21st episode of Star Blazers, an English rewrite and dub of the 1974 anime series Space Battleship Yamato, premieres in syndication across the U.S. 
Fed up with Atari’s refusal to grant them bylines on the best-selling games they’ve been designing and programming for the Atari VCS, Atari employees Alan Miller, David Crane, Larry Kaplan and Bob Whitehead quit their jobs and form the first third-party video game software house, Activision, with former music executive Jim Levy aboard as the new company’s CEO. Infuriated, Atari files a raft of lawsuits alleging theft of trade secrets, but is ultimately unable to get an injunction preventing Activision from releasing games for the VCS.
The third episode of Glen A. Larson’s science fiction series Battlestar Galactica airs on ABC. Part two of a two-part story, this is one of a handful of two-part episodes that hint toward Larson’s original preference toward occasional miniseries events rather than a weekly series. Jane Seymour guest stars. 
The 106th episode of the animated science fiction series Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman airs on Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV. This is the second season premiere, picking up the story some time after the first season, and initiating a storyline about the replacement of a missing team member. 
The 458th episode of Doctor Who airs on BBC1. Michael Sheard (The Empire Strikes Back) and Frederick Jaeger guest star. 
The fourth episode of Filmation’s Saturday morning science fiction series Space Academy airs on CBS. A combatant from a mostly forgotten war is discovered, and he’s still in a mood to fight. 
The 40th episode of The Bionic Woman, starring Lindsay Wagner and Richard Anderson, airs on NBC. James Olson (The Andromeda Strain) and Melinda Fee (The Invisible Man) guest star.
Produced in the wake of Star Wars mania, Meco Menardo’s disco cover of John Williams’ music from Star Wars tops the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two weeks. A shortened, radio-friendly single is the song certified as #1, although the album version (titled Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk) is an extended suite lasting over 15 minutes and covering most of the movie’s major music themes. Meco would continue to ride the Star Wars train, disco-style, for years to come. 
NBC airs the 31st episode of Night Gallery, an anthology series of original short plays and short story adaptations hosted by Rod Serling. James Farentino, John Astin, and Joanna Pettet guest star.
The first episode of the animated science fiction series Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman airs on Japanese broadcaster Fuji TV. A creation of Tatsunoko Studios (Astro Boy), the series follows five young people with superpowers defending the world from the machinations of the sinister Galactus organization. This series will later be heavily edited – primarily for violence – and dubbed into English as Battle Of The Planets. 
The National Weather Service’s NOAA Weather Radio system finally finds its purpose with the introduction of a piercing “warning tone” preceding emergency weather announcements such as severe weather warnings. Manufacturers of weather radio receivers (an item which hit the market in 1970) use the five-second burst of 1050Hz warning tone to trigger attention-grabbing alert sounds and then activate the radio so the relevant information can be heard. NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts on 29 stations around the country, and the agency continues to bring new transmitters online throughout the year.
ABC airs the second episode of the modern-day science fiction series The Immortal, starring Christopher George. Ross Martin (The Wild Wild West) guest stars.