The Trek Files: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

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3-2 Gene Roddenberry letter to Bjo Trimble - 1968 Feb 26, 2019

Show notes

It wasn't always rosy between Gene Roddenberry and John and Bjo Trimble, even after their mail campaign famously helped "Save Star Trek." Their friendly relationship with the production made them the "go to" source of information for Trek fans everywhere and helped propel Gene's merchandise company, Lincoln Enterprises. Things soured soon after, though, and the Trimbles found themselves closing up shop. The Trek Files welcomes back John and Bjo Trimble to talk about the ups and downs of their relationship with Gene.

See the original document: Gene Roddenberry letter to Bjo Trimble - 1968

The Trek Files Season 3 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

3-1 Winter's End story pitch - December 1986 Feb 19, 2019

Show notes

An early story pitch for Star Trek: The Next Generation gets examined by Larry and special guest Rene Echevarria to start our third season. What makes a story compelling and produceable? What are the compelling hooks that get a writer's attention? Looking at "Winter's End" and Trek that might have been...

See the original document: Winter's End story pitch - December 1986

The Trek Files Season 3 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

2-24 Save Star Trek - 1967 Jan 15, 2019

Show notes

The letter-writing campaign that saved Star Trek for a third season kicked into high gear in late 1967. What was the best way to approach the network, and how many letters were really sent? And what role did vodka play in getting Star Trek to pass its syndication threshold? Find out when John and Bjo Trimble join Larry again this week for a deep dive into 1960s fandom!

See the original document: Save Star Trek - 1967

The Trek Files Season 2 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

2-23 Assignment Earth story ideas - January 1967 Jan 08, 2019

Show notes

In a parallel universe, Gene Roddenberry successfully used the Star Trek episode "Assignment Earth" as a backdoor pilot to launch a brand new series in the fall of 1968. With episodes needing to be produced, Gene would rely on story editor Dorothy Fontana to narrow down suitable stories and, like Star Trek, draw from existing science fiction authors. The Trek Files welcomes back Rene Echevarria to discuss a TOS favorite and what could have been.

See the original document: Assignment Earth story ideas - January 1967

The Trek Files Season 2 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

2-22 Star Trek Enterprises Catalog #1 - 1968 Jan 01, 2019

Show notes

After meeting Gene Roddenberry at the World Science Fiction Convention, John and Bjo Trimble found themselves at the center of Star Trek fandom. They organized the letter-writing campaign that secured a third season, and they were also handling fan mail, photo and merchandise requests. The Trek Files welcomes John and Bjo to talk about the earliest days of Trek fandom plus a look at the very first Star Trek merchandise catalog.

See the original document: Star Trek Enterprises Catalog No. 1 - 1968

The Trek Files Season 2 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

2-21 NBC Standards memo - Plato's Stepchildren - 1968 Dec 18, 2018

Show notes

This week, The Trek Files parallels two memos from different eras. First, we'll look at the specific requests made by NBC Standards about the now-iconic kiss between Kirk and Uhura in "Plato's Stepchildren." Then we'll dig into a Michael Piller memo from nearly a quarter century later about how to handle sexual content on Star Trek. Special guest Rene Echevarria joins Larry this week on The Trek Files.

See the original document: NBC Standards memo - Plato's Stepchildren - 1968

The Trek Files Season 2 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

2-20 TNG Character Relationships part 2 - November 1986 Dec 11, 2018

Show notes

Lisa Klink joins the Trek Files again for another examination of the early TNG character relationships document. What were the challenges with creating Star Trek's first Betazoid character and how did she change before the show even started production?

See the original document: TNG Character Relationships part 2 - November 1986

The Trek Files Season 2 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

2-19 TNG Character Relationships part 1 - November 1986 Dec 04, 2018

Show notes

Back when Wesley was still Lesley, the small group of writers and producers on The Next Generation needed to outline how the characters would relate to each other. What motivated them? How did they react? Where were they headed? In part one of our discussion, we welcome back Lisa Klink to examine how Wesley Crusher was shaping up.

See the original document: TNG Character Relationships part 1 - November 1986

The Trek Files Season 2 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

2-18 Bob Justman Noah's Ark memo - October 17, 1986 Nov 27, 2018

Show notes

Families on the Enterprise? This was a big question among the producers who assembled in the early days of The Next Generation, well before the show's first bible had been written. In this memo, Bob Justman makes a case for dealing with relationships, kids and what the crew is doing when they are off duty. Larry is joined this week by special guest Lisa Klink!

See the original document: Bob Justman Noah's Ark memo - October 17, 1986

The Trek Files Season 2 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

2-17 Wesley Crusher memos - November 1986 Nov 20, 2018

Show notes

In that early development period on The Next Generation, the group of assembled producers and writers struggled with ways to make the first underaged regular Star Trek character believable. Should he be a genius? Should he have a brain implant? Should he be promoted to Commander? Three memos reveal the thoughts behind bringing Wesley to life on this week's The Trek Files.

See the original document: Wesley Crusher memos - November 1986

The Trek Files Season 2 on Memory Alpha

All episodes and documents: The Trek Files on Memory Alpha

Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

The conversation continues on Discord with live chats and the Roddenberry Podcasts community! Join today!

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