Roddenberry Podcasts

Tawny Newsome is excited to be able to talk about Star Trek again now that the SAG-AFTRA strike seems to be over. I was able to monopolize a few minutes of her time to talk about her character, Beckett Mariner, in Star Trek: Lower Decks , as well as that crossover episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and being in the writers room of the upcoming series Star Trek: Starlet Academy . I'm T. Rick...

In the "letters and stamps" days of Star Trek fandom, between the original series and the Motion Picture, industrious fans connected with each other as "pen friends" through organizations like the William Shatner Letter Exchange. Luanne Fortier, a WSLE founder, joins The Trek Files to look back at those early days of celebrating their favorite series. See the documents: William Shatner Letter Exch...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 took some big swings, but did the show's creators hit a home run or get sent back to the dugout? Sci-Fi Talk's Tony Tellado sits down with our Managing Editor, T. Rick Jones to talk about the highs and lows of their bold sophomore season. You can download Sci-Fi Talk wherever you get your podcasts and visit their website here and his YouTube channel here . To...

In 1968, David Gerrold pitched a story to Star Trek called "Bem," and while it went unproduced for TOS, the story would find new life in animated form. Hear the full story from David himself, our special guest to kick off the 11th season of The Trek Files! See the documents: "Bem" Contract Request - 1968 The Trek Files Season 11 on Memory Alpha All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory...

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds season 2 took some big swings, but did the show's creators hit a home run or get sent back to the dugout? Sci-Fi Talk's Tony Tellado sits down with our Managing Editor, T. Rick Jones to talk about the highs and lows of their bold sophomore season. You can download Sci-Fi Talk wherever you get your podcasts and visit their website here . All the DSTN interviews mention...

On July 13, SAG-AFTRA went on strike, walking off film and television sets and joining the WGA in demanding a square deal from producers. Nearly two months later, that deal seems as distant as ever. You know Michelle Hurd from her work as Raffi on Star Trek: Picard, but you may also know that she is the Vice President of SAG-AFTRA. She joined me to talk about the ongoing strike and the upcoming Un...

Live from the Roddenberry stage at STLV, an assembled panel of scientists and enthusiasts look at the line between science and pseudoscience and how understanding the difference will help us achieve a better future. Join Dr. Kayla Iacovino, Dr. Mohamed Noor, Meredith Mikell, James Kerwin, and host John Champion for a spirited discussion. NOTE: Due to unforeseen technical limitations, the quality o...

While Star Trek: The Animated Series was winding down, Gene Roddenberry was developing what might have been his next animated sci-fi series (with a healthy dose of Star Trek influence). In our season finale, Aaron Waltke joins The Trek Files again to discuss Gene's vision for "Starship" and the many parallels to getting an animated to fly today. See the documents: Starship (Animated) - September 1...

While the combined SAG and WGA strike continues to impact entertainment production, Mission Log welcomes two special guests: writer Bill Wolkoff and actor Michelle Hurd. They help us to understand the complexities of the strike and its relevance to us as the audience. Mission Log will continue its regular programming when the strike has been settled. In the meantime, we will bring you special prog...

When Star Trek premiered as an animated series in 1973, Gene Roddenberry and Dorothy Fontana assured fans that the new medium wouldn't affect the importance of the storytelling. A half century later, we are joined by Star Trek: Prodigy co-producer Aaron Waltke to discuss what has changed in the animation process and what has stayed the same in bringing Trek's core values to a whole new audience. R...

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode, "Nemesis," Chakotay glimpses a clash against many motherless beasts and finds himself fighting to prevent himself from getting nullified.  Hosted by John Champion & Norman Lao Welcome to Mission Log , a Roddenberry Entertainment podcast, where we explore the Star Trek universe one episode at a time. Each week, Mission Log  examines a single episode of Star Trek ,...

From humanist philosophy to religion to our future with technology. Gene Roddenberry covered a lot of ground in the days of his college lecture tours. We're joined again by Star Trek motion graphics director Tim Peel to examine the deep side of Gene's thoughts in the years between Trek on TV and at the movies. See the documents: Hastings College speech - 1979 The Trek Files Season 10 on Memory Alp...

Everyone's had a couple of weeks to recuperate from the 57 Year Mission convention, and Norman and Heather field calls about the con, about the Nostalgia Factor panel, and much more! Be sure to join us live! We're on the Mission Log Facebook page every Monday at 7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern

The Gorn were created for an episode of Star Trek: The Original Series , with a stuntman portraying the lizard creature in an unwieldy costume. We saw one again in Star Trek: Enterprise , courtesy of some pretty bad CGI. Now they're a recurring threat in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds where the combination of practical effects and CGI make them arguably the best-looking iteration of the species. I...

Does nostalgia help or hinder the creative process? Are we, as viewers, swayed too easily by the comfort of familiar stories and characters? John and Norman are joined by special guest James Kerwin live onstage at Creation's 57-Year-Mission Convention in Las Vegas. NOTE: Due to unforeseen technical limitations, the quality of our live audio was severely hindered. We have taken every step possible...

Office politics have a certain timeless quality. In 1967, Leonard Nimoy found himself battling the higher-ups for the simple necessities to fulfill his fan mail obligations. On this week's The Trek Files, we explore the battle of memos with return guest Daren Dochterman and a very special reading! See the documents: Leonard Nimoy fan mail memos - 1967 The Trek Files Season 10 on Memory Alpha All e...

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode, "Day Of Honor," if a Klingon is going to do anything, they'll do it with honor. B'Elanna has some reservations though when it comes to expressing her personal truth until an accident forces her to confront her feelings for Tom.  Hosted by John Champion & Norman Lao Welcome to Mission Log , a Roddenberry Entertainment podcast, where we explore the Star Trek univer...

A document from 1985 written by Mike Okuda addresses no less than the entire look and feel of Star Trek's graphics and the logic of starship display design. This week, we examine a portion of that pitch with the talented Tim Peel, heir apparent to Okuda's work as the director of motion graphics for all Star Trek since Discovery took flight in 2017! See the documents: Star Trek graphics, instrument...

Mission Log Live's callers have thoughts on recent episodes and upcoming events, such as this week's 57 Year Mission convention - among other things! Be sure to join us live! We're on the Mission Log Facebook page every Monday at 7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern

The latest episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, "Under the Cloak of War," is a look at the emotional consequences of war. When Klingon Ambassador Dak'Rah, known as the Butcher of J'Gal, boards the ship claiming he's on a mission of peace, it stirs up strong emotions from the crew, many of whom are suffering from PTSD from the Federation-Klingon War. It's a dramatic episode with a message at i...

In the  Star Trek: Voyager episode, "The Gift," Seven of Nine is here to stay on Voyager whether she likes it or not, and mostly she doesn't. That won't keep Janeway from insisting that a human collective is better than anything the Borg could provide. Hosted by John Champion & Norman Lao Welcome to Mission Log , a Roddenberry Entertainment podcast, where we explore the Star Trek universe one epis...

A memo from 1989 illustrates a core concern in Star Trek's past and present: representation in the future. We're thrilled to welcome back Cirroc Lofton to discuss the ways Star Trek broke ground and ways the production process can best evolve. See the documents: Hispanics on the E - 1989 The Trek Files Season 10 on Memory Alpha All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha Visit the T...

The entertainment industry is having what you might call a moment - and maybe we too need to take a moment, with special guest Rod Roddenberry, to clarify our stance and discuss what it means for Mission Log and Mission Log Live in the near future. Be sure to join us live! We're on the Mission Log Facebook page every Monday at 7pm Pacific/10pm Eastern

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode, "Scorpion Part II," remember the one about the scorpion from last week? This time the Borg play nice with the Voyager crew by sending an emissary to speak for the rest of them, but will she help them to safety, or will her true nature doom them all? Hosted by John Champion & Norman Lao Welcome to Mission Log , a Roddenberry Entertainment podcast, where we explore...

In the midst of a writer's strike, production on Star Trek shut down. Sound familiar? That was in 1988, delaying the second year of TNG and causing the season to be shortened. Cirroc Lofton joins The Trek Files to discuss big changes in Trek, changing technology, and the desired outcome of strikes! See the documents: The Child call sheet - 1988 The Trek Files Season 10 on Memory Alpha All episodes...