Roddenberry Podcasts

A quick check-in from John about the future of Mission Log. After wrapping Star Trek: Voyager, the show has been in transition, and this update shares what's next. We'll cover what's happening behind the scenes, what's coming up (including Enterprise), and how you can stay connected while we prepare for the next chapter.

Mission Log isn't going anywhere. This is just a brief transmission to say thank you and to let you know what's ahead.

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Subscribe and Stay Updated:Never miss an episode! Subscribe on your preferred podcast player, leave a review, and join Mission Log on the journey of weekly deep dives into the Star Trek universe. Technical Director - Earl Green Producer - John Champion Associate Producer - Jessica Lynn Verdi Executive Producer - Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry Roddenberry Entertainment | All Rights Reserved

We're back with a fresh recap and review of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 8, "The Life of the Stars."

In this spoiler-heavy discussion, Jessica Lynn Verdi and John Champion set the stage for an episode that stretches from Thornton Wilder's Our Town to SAM's home planet and straight into some of the biggest emotional questions of the season. Trauma, time, theater, and the Doctor's growing existential crisis collide as Academy attempts to reckon with the aftermath of the Miyazaki disaster.

Does art heal? Does counseling help? And what happens when a character built to observe life demands the chance to actually live it?

If you'd like to watch the full video version of Mission Log: Reactor — and get it a day early — you can join us on Patreon for as little as $1.

Sign up at https://www.patreon.com/MissionLog

(Patrons get Reactor first thing Thursday morning!)

And don't forget:

Join us Mondays at 7PM PT / 10PM ET for Mission Log Live, our FREE audience call-in talkback show covering each new episode. Bring your questions, theories, agreements, disagreements — and maybe even written notes.

patreon.com/missionlog

For more Star Trek podcasts, videos, and discussion:

missionlogpodcast.com

Spring Break for Starfleet Academy means desert weddings, warp slugs, forged transcripts, and a brand-new word entering the Trek lexicon: Ko'Zeine.

After our spoiler-heavy review on Mission Log: Reactor, it was your turn to take the mic. On this week's Mission Log Live, callers weighed in on tonal whiplash, Darem's royal detour, Genesis' risky shortcut to command, and whether Caleb is the hero we're meant to root for… or the cadet we most need to yell at.

Is "Ko'Zeine" a welcome breather after the Miyazaki disaster?

Did the Khionian wedding work for you?

Are we shipping the right couples?

And what does it mean when Starfleet Academy swings from trauma to rom-com in a single jump?

From Klingon bonding rituals to desert couture, you brought sharp insight, strong opinions, and just the right amount of chaos.

If you caught our initial review on Mission Log: Reactor, this is the next step, the community conversation. If you didn't, you can always start there for our first impressions before diving into the live debate.

Watch Mission Log: Reactor on YouTube

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

(Patreon members get Reactor a day early!)

Join us Mondays for Mission Log Live

Our audience call-in talkback show covering each new episode

Streaming FREE every Monday at 7pm PT / 10pm ET on Patreon:

patreon.com/missionlog

For more Star Trek podcasts, videos, and discussion:

missionlogpodcast.com

We're back with a fresh recap & review of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 7, "Ko'Zeine."

Spring Break hits Starfleet Academy, and while some cadets plan a quiet getaway, others get swept into royal weddings, questionable science experiments, and decisions that could derail a pre-command future. Jessica Lynn Verdi and John Champion unpack the cultural clash on the Khionian "sunset moon," the consequence of cutting corners on the USS Athena, and what this episode has to say about truth and accountability.

It's a spoiler-heavy discussion as we break down the latest chapter of this new Trek series' the hits, the head-scratchers, and the character turns that may shape the rest of the season.

Prefer to watch? Mission Log: Reactor premieres weekly on YouTube:

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

Want it early? Patreon members get Mission Log: Reactor a day before the public release — for as little as $1:

patreon.com/missionlog

And join us Mondays at 7PM PT / 10PM ET for Mission Log Live, our audience call-in talkback show — streaming FREE on Patreon:

patreon.com/missionlog

For more Star Trek podcasts, videos, and discussion:

missionlogpodcast.com

After our Mission Log Reactor recap of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 6, "Come, Let's Away," we opened the channel, and our Star Trek Pals delivered.

This week's live discussion dives deep into the moral calculus of trusting Nus Braka (again), whether Starfleet's diplomacy still works in a fractured galaxy, and if the Federation's reputation for paternalism is something it simply can't shake. Callers unpack Ake's choices, debate whether letting the villain monologue is negotiation or naïveté, and question whether Starfleet has truly learned to meet other cultures where they are.

Along the way, we get sharp psychological analysis, comparisons to Janeway and the Borg, musings on Shakespeare references, comic book lore in a post-Burn galaxy, and the eternal question: how much premise-swallowing is too much premise-swallowing?

This is Mission Log Live: thoughtful disagreement, sharp insight, a few laughs, and space to wrestle with the bigger ideas behind the action.

Watch our initial reactions on Mission Log: Reactor:

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

(Patreon members get Reactor a day early!)

Join us Mondays for Mission Log Live, our audience call-in talkback show.

Streaming FREE every Monday at 7pm PT / 10pm ET on Patreon:

patreon.com/missionlog

(Audio-only versions drop immediately after the live show.)

For more Star Trek podcasts, videos, and discussion, visit:

missionlogpodcast.com

Before she was Tasha Yar, she was Lieutenant Commander Macha Hernandez.

For the Season 14 finale of The Trek Files, Denise Crosby joins Larry Nemecek to revisit her original 1987 audition sides for Star Trek: The Next Generation, including early character descriptions that reveal a very different version of the Enterprise's security chief.

Denise first read for Deanna Troi before Gene Roddenberry made a pivotal switch, reshaping the role of Macha Hernandez into Tasha Yar to fit Denise's strengths. In this week's episode, Denise reflects on the audition process, her favorite scene between Troi and Yar that was never filmed, and what those early creative decisions revealed about the direction of TNG.

She also shares memories of those uncertain early days of production, the risk of launching a syndicated sequel to an iconic series, and the emotional complexity of stepping into (and eventually stepping away from) such a historic role. Along the way, Denise speaks movingly about loss after the Palisades fire, resilience, fandom, and what it means to revisit Star Trek decades later.

It's a revealing look at how a character evolves, how casting can reshape canon, and how even discarded script pages tell the story of Star Trek's creative DNA.

Documents and additional references

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Casting Character Bios & Audition Sides (January 30, 1987)

  Original description of Lieutenant Commander Macha Hernandez and early security chief character concepts.

• Star Trek: The Next Generation Pilot Casting Sides (February 11, 1987)

  Troi/Yar audition scene never filmed for TNG.

The Trek Files Season 14 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!

We're back with a fresh recap & review of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Season 1, Episode 6, "Come, Let's Away"!

Jessica Lynn Verdi and John Champion get out of the classroom and take a field trip into danger, with Nus Braka as a guest lecturer. Hope you studied up, there'll be tests. So. many. tests. Join us for a spoiler-heavy Star Trek podcast as we break down all the latest from this exciting new television series.

Also! Join us Mondays at 7PM PT/10PM ET for our live talkback for each episode, FREE on Patreon. We'll hear your thoughts and questions as we embark on this journey together! https://www.patreon.com/missionlog/events/150616376

This is the audio-only podcast version of Mission Log: Reactor. If you'd like to watch the conversation, the full video edition is available on YouTube:

Mission Log: Reactor on YouTube

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

(Patreon members get Reactor a day early!)

Join us Mondays for Mission Log Live — our audience call-in talkback show covering each new episode.

Streaming FREE every Monday at 7pm PT / 10pm ET on Patreon:

patreon.com/missionlog

For more Star Trek podcasts, videos, and discussion, visit:

missionlogpodcast.com

Mission Log Live is all about the conversation.

Following our Mission Log Reactor discussion of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 5, "Series Acclimation Mil,"we open the channel to our listeners for a wide-ranging call-in discussion that explores SAM's journey, manufactured intelligence, and what it means to "understand" humanity at all.

Callers bring deeply personal reactions to SAM's story, comparisons to Data and "Data's Day," reflections on Benjamin and Jake Sisko, and thoughtful debate over whether this episode is a sincere exploration of identity or an uneven mix of whimsy, fan service, and big ideas. We hear perspectives shaped by love of Deep Space Nine, fresh eyes new to DS9, and everything in between, with space for minds to change and opinions to clash respectfully.

This is Mission Log Live at its core: a welcoming space for thoughtful disagreement and shared curiosity about Star Trek's message.

Watch our initial reactions on Mission Log Reactor:

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

(Patreon members get Reactor a day early!)

Join us for Mission Log Live every Monday night — our audience call-in talkback show, FREE for everyone at:

patreon.com/missionlog

(Audio-only versions drop after the live show.)

For more Star Trek podcasts, videos, and discussion, visit:

missionlogpodcast.com

In this very special episode of The Trek Files, actor Robin Curtis joins us to revisit a little-known chapter in Saavik's story, one that never made it to screen. Drawing from a pair of early Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home script drafts, we explore a scene that implies Saavik is pregnant with Spock's child, a narrative thread begun in Star Trek III but quietly dropped by the time the final film was released.

Robin shares warm memories of working with Leonard Nimoy, the late Harve Bennett, and her fellow castmates, as well as a few eye-opening truths about the unpredictability of Hollywood. Plus, she discusses her return to the role of Saavik in OTOY's Unification, and we recreate the pivotal, never-filmed scene between Kirk and Saavik.

It's an emotional, candid, and deeply human conversation about legacy, missed opportunities, and what it means to carry a character with you for decades.

Documents and additional references:

• First Draft (August 23, 1985): Conversation between Kirk and Saavik revealing her pregnancy by Spock.

• Second Draft (November 18, 1985): Subtle reference via McCoy's line: "I'm a surgeon, not a pediatrician."

The Trek Files Season 14 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!

We're back with a fresh spoiler-heavy recap and review of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, Season 1, Episode 5, "Series Acclimation Mil."

Jessica Lynn Verdi and John Champion enroll in a class on the unknowable, following SAM as she tries to understand organic life and the legacy of Benjamin Sisko. Along the way, we dig into big questions about identity, predestination, and whether learning can ever really be quantified. Plus: holographic hangovers, blobfish, and just how much whimsy is too much whimsy.

This is the audio-only podcast version of Mission Log: Reactor. If you'd like to watch the conversation, the full video edition is available on YouTube:

Mission Log: Reactor on YouTube

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

(Patreon members get Reactor a day early!)

Join us Mondays for Mission Log Live — our audience call-in talkback show covering each new episode.

Streaming FREE every Monday at 7pm PT / 10pm ET on Patreon:

patreon.com/missionlog

For more Star Trek podcasts, videos, and discussion, visit:

missionlogpodcast.com