We are thrilled to welcome Margaret Weitekamp, Curator and Department Chair of the Smithsonian National Air & Space Museum, to discuss science fiction's role in the story of space flight. A 1972 letter from Gene Roddenberry to Fred Durant, Assistant Director of NASM, underlines the cultural impact of shows like Star Trek and the importance of heroic stories in garnering public support. See the documents: facebook.com/thetrekfiles Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

11-16 Letter to Fred Durant - 1972

Your weekly deep-dive into the archives of Roddenberry Entertainment, from the personal files of Gene Roddenberry. Each week, “Dr. Trek” himself, Larry Nemecek, and his guest host will take a behind-the-scenes look at documents that haven’t been viewed in decades—many being revealed publicly for the very first time!

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Wrapping up our 11th season, The Trek Files is proud to welcome Walter Koenig to the show to look back at his own involvement in Star Trek TAS as a writer. Stay tuned for the revelations about Walter's pitch (and subsequent rejection) from TNG, shared here for the first time! See the documents: facebook.com/thetrekfiles Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

11-24 Star Trek premise (TAS) - 1973

Ben Robinson returns to The Trek Files for another look at some of the roads not taken when Star Trek: The Next Generation was in development. This time, the complexities of bringing Wesley/Lesley Crusher to life and how TNG could have broken new ground in 1987. See the documents: facebook.com/thetrekfiles Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

11-23 TNG Character Relationships - 1986, part 2

The Trek Files revisits an early document from Star Trek: The Next Generation's development. David Gerrold sketched out a guide to how the main characters would relate to each other, and in this excerpt, focuses on Deanna Troi's special talent as a telepath. Ben Robinson joins us to look back at the Trek that might have been! See the documents: facebook.com/thetrekfiles Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

11-22 TNG Character Relationships - 1986

Continuing our conversation about Gene's Star Trek III memo, we are thrilled to welcome Eugene Roddenberry to share his insights into his father's notes! Examining Vulcan mysticism and how those "small feathers" make a big difference in Star Trek storytelling on a can't miss episode of The Trek Files! See the documents: facebook.com/thetrekfiles Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

11-21 Star Trek III final draft notes - 1983, part 2

While developing "The Next Generation," Gene Roddenberry was also fielding notes on the next Star Trek feature film "The Final Frontier." Our featured document highlights some of the strong misgivings Gene had about the script and story, and we pick apart the areas where he may have missed the mark or was right on target. See the documents: facebook.com/thetrekfiles Visit the Trekland site for behind-the-scenes access and exclusive merchandise.

11-16 Letter to Fred Durant - 1972

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