Roddenberry Podcasts

Mission Log Live puts the spotlight on you.

Following our Mission Log Reactor discussion of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 4, "Vox In Excelso," we open the channel to our listeners for a wide-ranging conversation about Klingon identity, family, myth, debate, and what Star Trek is, and can be, right now.

Callers bring everything from joyful tears to thoughtful critique. We hear deeply personal reactions to Jay-Den Kraag's story, discussions of chosen family and queer representation, debates over how truth is framed versus discovered, and even speculation about whether Caleb might be hiding something more than exceptional talent. Along the way, we wrestle with empathy versus charity, cultural self-determination, and the power of storytelling to shape identity.

This is Mission Log Live at its best: respectful disagreement, unexpected insights, and a reminder that Star Trek works most powerfully when it invites conversation rather than closing it down.

🎥 Watch our initial reactions on Mission Log Reactor:

"Vox in Excelso"

📺 Join us every Friday for Mission Log Reactor on YouTube:

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

(Patreon members get Reactor a day early!)

💬 Mission Log Live streams Monday nights and is FREE for everyone:

patreon.com/missionlog

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

Before Star Trek: Discovery's final season sent its crew in pursuit of ancient secrets, Carlos Cisco had already taken inspiration from one of the most profound episodes of The Next Generation, "The Chase." In this week's The Trek Files, Carlos returns to explore the thematic connections between the 1993 TNG episode and Discovery's modern narrative arc. With Larry Nemecek, he discusses how "The Chase" influenced the creation of the alien species Progenitors and how its ideas about shared ancestry and unity resonated with the story of L'ak and the Breen in Discovery Season 5.

Document and additional references: Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Chase," final draft script (revised Feb 4–10, 1993)

Written by Ronald D. Moore & Joe Menosky, directed by Jonathan Frakes.

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!

SPECIAL RELEASE

Before we return to our regular release schedule, here's the second—and final— specialaudio drop from our Patreon-exclusive Mission Log Live discussions.

This episode focuses on Star Trek: Starfleet Academy Episode 3, "Vitus Reflux." The rivalry between Starfleet cadets and the War College heats up, culminating in a competitive game of Calica (laser tag of the future), a full-blown prank war, and a fast-growing, mockery-spouting fungus at the center of it all.

As always, Mission Log Live is driven by you. Callers weighed in with reactions ranging from unabashed enjoyment to a resounding "meh," sparking a wide-ranging conversation about tone, tropes, and what this episode is really trying to say. To help put some of the criticism into perspective, we're joined by special guest Larry Nemecek (aka Dr. Trek) for additional context and critique.

🎥 Watch our initial reactions on Mission Log Reactor:

https://youtu.be/_2mQ4nY7UWk?si=yTguxbip-blimEgn

📺 Join us every Thursday for Mission Log Reactor on YouTube:

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

(Patreon subscribers get Reactor a day early!)

💬 Mission Log Live streams weekly on Monday nights at:

patreon.com/missionlog

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

SPECIAL RELEASE

You asked, and we listened. To make sure no version of Mission Log Live is missed, we're releasing the audio from our Patreon-exclusive live chats into the main podcast feed.

In this first special release, we dive into the opening two episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy — "Kids These Days" and "Beta Test." From early reactions to cadet romances and clashing personalities, to over-the-top villains and big thematic swings, this is where the conversation really starts.

Hear your comments, questions, and takes as Jessica Lynn Verdi and John Champion unpack what's working, what's raising eyebrows, and what these episodes might be setting up for the future of the series.

🎥 Watch our initial reactions on Mission Log Reactor:

https://youtu.be/a1-ijIWK5_s?si=fgh1d5fnDytqYjUE

📺 Join us every Thursday for Mission Log Reactor on YouTube:

youtube.com/@MissionLogPodcasts

(Patreon subscribers get Reactor a day early!)

💬 Mission Log Live streams weekly and is free for everyone at:

patreon.com/missionlog

Episode 4 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has daddy issues that could decide the fate of the Klingon Empire, to be resolved only in reasoned debate or an interplanetary pillow fight! Jessica Lynn Verdi and John Champion discuss "Vox In Excelso," which lets us in on how the Burn affected the Klingons, and gives us Jay-Den Kraag's origin story. Enjoy our honest-to-goodness, SPOILER HEAVY review and chime in with YOUR thoughts in the comments. 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!

This week, we're joined once again by Cash Edwards, who shares an intimate look at his longtime friendship with Star Trek: The Next Generation producer Herbert J. Wright. Their relationship, and shared history with Gene and Majel Roddenberry, sparked a bold attempt to revive one of Gene's most personal concepts: The Questor Tapes. In 2004, Herb, Cash, Rod Roddenberry, and a team that included Mike Okuda and Jules Urbach put together a new pitch for Questor—a project updated for the post-9/11 world but still driven by the timeless Roddenberry themes of evolution, ethics, and survival. From detailed series bibles to pilot treatments and fan outreach, Cash walks us through the chaotic early years of TNG, the roots of Questor, and the bittersweet story behind its final pitch.

Document and additional references: Questor promo revision 10 - 2004

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!

Episode 3 of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy answers the age old question, is it like laser tag? Jessica Lynn Verdi and John Champion discuss "Vitus Reflux," where the war college and Starfleet academy go head to head. Not gonna lie, Calica looks fun. Enjoy our honest-to-goodness, SPOILER HEAVY review and chime in with YOUR thoughts in the comments. 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!

This week on The Trek Files: warp coils, dilithium chambers, and a whole lot of gamma rays.

Returning guest Rick Sternbach joins Larry Nemecek once again for a lively exploration of Star Trek: The Next Generation's scientific backbone. Using early technical memos and a classic 1987 warp engine sketch, Rick walks us through how the team brought real-world physics into the heart of the Enterprise-D's design and when they just had to make it up.

From working with Los Alamos physicists to devising the ejection system for the warp core, Rick shares stories of how he and Mike Okuda grounded the show's tech in reality while still serving the drama. Ever wonder why deuterium goes on top, antimatter on the bottom, or how a photon torpedo really works? This one's for the technobabble lovers and science fans alike.

Documents and additional references:

• "TNG Warp Engine Concept Sketch" by Rick Sternbach, February 18, 1987

• Excerpt from the internal Star Trek: TNG Technical Primer, May 1, 1989

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!

Welcome, Cadets, to Episodes 1 & 2 of Paramount's newest Star Trek series, Starfleet Academy! Did you know Mission Log Patrons get this video a day early!? patreon.com/missionlog

Roddenberry Podcasts very own Jessica Lynn Verdi and John Champion deliver their honest-to-goodness SPOILER HEAVY review for the first two episodes of Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, "Kids These Days" and "Beta Test." We discuss what worked! What doesn't. What has potential! And what's concerning…

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

For more Trek content, visit https://www.missionlogpodcast.com/ #Roddenberry #StarTrek #StarfleetAcademy #GeneRoddenberry #review #spoilers

Long before The Next Generation brought LCARS to life or 3D printers made cosplay easier, Star Trek fans relied on one book to make the Enterprise feel real: The Starfleet Technical Manual by Franz Joseph.

In this week's episode, Larry Nemecek welcomes back Karen Schnaubelt, daughter of Franz Joseph, to mark the 50th anniversary of that seminal 1975 publication, just weeks after its surprise appearance atop the New York Times bestseller list. More than just a how-to guide for warp drives and turbo lifts, the Tech Manual became a cornerstone of Trek fandom and helped lay the foundation for the Star Trek revival that followed.

Karen reflects on her father's unique journey from retired engineer to pop culture icon, how the Technical Manual grew out of lunch-hour sketches and club meetings, and what it was like watching fandom embrace a book that treated Star Trek like a living universe. Plus, Larry and Karen discuss how that very success may have stirred some tension in Gene Roddenberry's orbit.

Documents and additional references: The New York Times Book Review – January 4, 1976

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!