The Trek Files: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

Season 6 of The Trek Files premieres with a look back at one of the foundational Star Trek documents, the Writer-Director Information book from August 30, 1966. In it, Yeoman Janice Rand is clearly included as one of the most important regular crew-members. We're proud to welcome Jonathan Whitney Dweck as our special guest this week - son of the late Grace Lee Whitney who portrayed Rand. He provid...

Star Trek's 25th anniversary occurred the same year as another milestone: the death of Gene Roddenberry on October 24, 1991. After the memorial service, Majel Barrett sat down to write a series of thank you notes to the friends and celebrities who had attended and spoken about Gene's life and impact. In the season finale of The Trek Files, we are pleased to welcome back Rod Roddenberry to talk abo...

This is the story of the United Space Ship Enterprise. Assigned a five year patrol of our galaxy, the giant starship visits Earth colonies, regulates commerce, and explores strange new worlds and civilizations... or words to that effect. On a Tuesday in August, 1966, the Star Trek braintrust of Gene Roddenberry, Bob Justman and John D. F. Black hurriedly crafted what would become one of the most f...

A few weeks after jotting down his initial thoughts on a new Star Trek series, Gene Roddenberry starts putting together his dream team of producers and writers to bring his new show to life - all under the pressure of a deadline. Some ideas will be fleshed out while others are dropped completely. In this confidential letter to Eddie Milkis, Gene spells out all the next steps to consider while maki...

Star Trek was soon to make the jump from prime-time drama to Saturday morning "kiddie show" by the estimation of LA Times TV critic Don Page. Quick to set him straight was Dorothy Fontana with a letter that spelled out Star Trek's storytelling imperative, regardless of the filmed form it may take. See the original document: Dorothy Fontana letter to Don Page - April 1973 The Trek Files  Season 5 o...

Author John Flynn joins The Trek Files to discuss further details about Angelique Pettyjohn's life. From her time on Star Trek and interactions with the fans to a stunning revelation about her relationship with Elvis Presley - Angelique's portrayal of Shana was only part of a fascinating life. See the original document: The Gamesters of Triskelion production report - 1967 The Trek Files  Season 5...

Angelique Pettyjohn guest-starred in The Gamesters of Triskelion and immediately became an iconic part of Star Trek. This week, we welcome John Flynn who has written a new autobiography on Angelique to share stories about her getting the role, her time on set and encounter with Captain Kirk. See the original document: The Gamesters of Pentathlon - August 1, 1967 The Trek Files  Season 5 on Memory...

"Spockanalia," the Vulcan-centric fanzine, kicks off this week's discussion with returning special-guest Jacqueline Lichtenberg. Diving into the world of fanzines, we'll get the low-down on fandom evolution in the mimeograph era and what producers learned from fans. See the original document: Spockanalia 4 - April 1969 The Trek Files  Season 5 on Memory Alpha All episodes and documents:  The Trek...

Return with special guest Jacqueline Lichtenberg to the early days of fandom when newsletters, 'zines, and conventions helped keep Star Trek alive. A letter from Cornell University requesting Star Trek fan resources kicks off the conversation on this week's episode of The Trek Files. See the original document: Star Trek  publications request - Cornell University - 1973 The Trek Files  Season 5 on...

Fans of all ages have been inspired by Star Trek since the beginning of its TV run. Those fans who are invested in every detail of the show made sure Gene Roddenberry heard their opinions, their desires and their nitpicks, especially when it looked like their favorite show would be revived as a movie. See the original document: Fan letters to Gene Roddenberry - 1970s The Trek Files  Season 5 on Me...

Profanity in Star Trek? Say it isn't so! Majel Barrett Roddenberry responds to a fan letter in 1994 over concerns about the language in Star Trek IV. We've got special guest Rod Roddenberry here to talk about his mother's legacy and the place of questionable language in the Trek franchise. See the original document: Profanity in  Star Trek  - Majel Barrett Roddenberry - 1994 The Trek Files  Season...

It's Star Trek The Next Generation as you've never seen it! Featuring Captain William T. English, Number One Walter T. Raleigh, Science Officer "Con," and Data the Asian android! Check out Gene Roddenberry's first take on what would be Star Trek's return to the small screen on this week's Trek Files. See the original document: Gene Roddenberry's first thoughts on TNG - October 1986 The Trek Files ...

We revisit one our earlier documents this week - Gene Roddenberry's draft introduction to Star Trek Lives! - but from a new angle. Co-author and fan-fiction stalwart Jacqueline Lichtenberg joins Larry to discuss early Trek fandom and crossing over into professional realms. See the original document: Star Trek Lives  draft introduction - 1975 The Trek Files  Season 5 on Memory Alpha All episodes an...

What if Star Trek The Next Generation had an android character as a regular? The idea was on Bob Justman's mind in October 1986 when he sent a memo to Gene Roddenberry suggesting they get in touch with Gene's old friend Isaac Asimov. The Trek Files welcomes back Dr. Erin Macdonald to talk about AI, science and robotics in Trek! See the original document: Isaac Asimov and the Laws of Robotics - 198...

Two letters - separated by a few years - aimed at Star Trek fans who wanted to see The Original Series resurrected. While the approach for each is a little different, they are notable for being written by David Gerrold and Andrew Probert (before his Trek career started). Hear what each proposed on this week's show. See the original document: Star Trek  Cancelled - letters from Probert and Gerrold...

Remember when the people of Earth faced down an environmental disaster... and did something about it? It wasn't science fiction, it was our concern over the disappearing ozone layer, and it grabbed the attention of Star Trek's producers in 1987. The Trek Files welcomes back Dr. Erin Macdonald to talk about the relationship between science advisors and science fiction. See the original document: Ho...

An early merchandising deal comes to Star Trek when Sawyers, Inc. (maker of View-Master) approaches the show. They sent a photographer to set in December 1967 to capture scenes from "The Omega Glory" and launch a line of TOS reels. At least that was the plan. This week, Larry Nemecek and John Champion talk toys on The Trek Files. See the original document: Sawyers Inc View-Master memo - December 1...

Going back to the very roots of Star Trek, we revisit one of the earliest documents, "The Star Trek Format," to examine what works and doesn't work about the "parallel worlds" concept. Special guest Rod Roddenberry discusses Trek's philosophy and legacy of crafting a future based on inclusion and curiosity. See the original document: The  Star Trek  Format - Parallel Worlds - March 11, 1964 The Tr...

Keeping the science in "science fiction" is a challenge whether it's for an adult or children's audience. In 1973, physicist Harvey Lynn was consulting The Animated Series just as he had done for Star Trek originally. The Trek Files is pleased to welcome Trek's newest science advisor, Dr. Erin MacDonald, to talk about keeping it real on the Enterprise. See the original document: The Lorelei Signal...

A straightforward story to introduce audiences to the new Enterprise crew is what Dorothy Fontana had in mind in late 1986 when she drafted "Encounter at Farpoint." It would change many times before premiering nearly a year later - not the least of which was the addition of "Q." The Trek Files unearths a document this week from TNG's earliest days. See the original document: Encounter at Farpoint...

What does it take to get a show nominated for an Emmy award? Not solely concerned with production, Michael Piller sent a memo to Gene Roddenberry and Rick Berman in April 1990 about which episodes had the best chances of getting some prestigious recognition. If only they could find a way to get Patrick Stewart in the running! The Trek Files welcomes back Eric Stillwell to discuss another one from...

At the end of season three of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the crew decide to have some fun by distributing a parody call sheet. Special guest Eric Stillwell sheds some light on the backstage atmosphere while The Trek Files boldly goes "where every man has been by now." See the original document: TNG Parody call sheet - April 20, 1990 The Trek Files  Season 5 on Memory Alpha All episodes and do...

A 1965 letter to Gene Roddenberry from TV Guide features an interview excerpt and an invitation to participate in a promotional film. Gene's words reveal his lifelong interest in tackling important issues and pushing the social and political boundaries of the medium. See the original document: TV Guide letter to Gene Roddenberry - December 1965 The Trek Files  Season 5 on Memory Alpha All episodes...

As season two of The Next Generation wraps up and just a few months before Star Trek V: The Final Frontier will premiere, Gene Roddenberry sit down for a short but revealing interview. Fan influences, social issues in scripts, notes on the new movie and so much more are covered. See the original document: Gene Roddenberry interview - February 4, 1989 The Trek Files  Season 5 on Memory Alpha All ep...

Kicking off season 5 of The Trek Files - a look back at local press coverage of a Star Trek Fan Club. This time it's the Wheeling, WV News Register reporting on the teenaged girls who are fans of Mr. Spock. To look back at this time in fandom, we welcome Holly Amos back to the show! See the original document: Star Trek  Fan Club article - 1973 The Trek Files  Season 5 on Memory Alpha All episodes...