The Trek Files: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is regarded as one of the finest entries in the franchise, but even classics continue to evolve right up until release.

This week on The Trek Files, Larry Nemecek welcomes authors and historians John and Maria Jose Tenuto to examine a fascinating production document: a March 23, 1982 retake script created just weeks before the film premiered. The pages reveal subtle but important changes to some of the movie's most memorable moments, from Kirk's first encounter with David Marcus to the famous "Remember" scene between Spock and McCoy.

How much did Kirk originally know about his son? Who actually performed the mind-meld hand seen in the reshoot? And how did a handful of pickup shots help shape what would become one of Star Trek's greatest films?

Along the way, John and Maria Jose pull back the curtain on Nicholas Meyer's production, Harve Bennett's stewardship of the franchise, and the extraordinary efficiency that turned a modestly-budgeted sequel into a science-fiction masterpiece.

• Star Trek II Retakes Script Pages — March 23, 1982

• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: The Making of the Classic Film
• Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
• Nicholas Meyer
• Harve Bennett
• ⁠Titan Books author page for Maria Jose Tenuto

What if Star Trek's most iconic technology was really just a clever budget solution?

This week on The Trek Files, Larry Nemecek welcomes back actor, writer, and Does It Fly? co-host Tamara Krinsky to explore one of the foundational documents of Star Trek: an excerpt from Gene Roddenberry's August 1966 Writer-Director Information guide. Among its many insights is an early explanation of the transporter, the device that would become one of the franchise's most recognizable inventions.

What began as a practical solution to avoid expensive weekly landing sequences quickly evolved into a storytelling engine unlike anything else in science fiction. Together, Larry and Tamara examine how the transporter shaped Star Trek's pacing and opened the door to some of the franchise's most memorable stories.

Drawing on Tamara's work analyzing science fiction concepts on Does It Fly?, the conversation ventures into questions of physics and philosophy. Is transporting matter actually possible? What happens to consciousness during transport? And how did a production shortcut become one of the most enduring ideas in popular culture?

From Gene Roddenberry's original vision to modern discussions of science and storytelling, this episode beams directly into what makes Star Trek work.

• Star Trek Writer-Director Information (Revised August 30, 1966) – transporter section and production notes
• Gene Roddenberry
• Transporter
• Tamara Krinsky
• Does It Fly? podcast⁠
• Does It Fly? – Is Star Trek's Transporter Really Possible?

Before Star Trek or The Lieutenant Gene Roddenberry explored his role as a television creator by developing a series for one of Hollywood's biggest stars: Joan Crawford.

This week, Larry welcomes Roddenberry Podcasts Technical Director and Gene-ology co-host Earl Green to examine a 1961 memo in which Gene proposes major revisions to The Joan Crawford Show, a legal drama pilot titled A Man's World. The project never made it to series, but the document reveals a writer already demonstrating the storytelling instincts, character focus, and production savvy that would later define his career.

Along the way, Earl and Larry explore Crawford's complicated transition from film to television, the realities of early TV development, Gene's final months at Screen Gems, and the behind-the-scenes negotiations that surrounded the project. They also discuss why the pilot script itself—examined in depth on Gene-ology—may rank among Gene Roddenberry's strongest pre-Star Trek works.

What begins as a rewrite memo becomes a look into Hollywood in transition and Gene Roddenberry honing his craft years before the Enterprise ever left spacedock.

• Joan Crawford rewrite memo (April 28, 1961)
• Gene Roddenberry
• Joan Crawford on IMDb
• The Lieutenant on IMDb
• DeForest Kelley
• Gene-ology: A Man's World episode⁠

Earlier this season, we explored an unusual piece of Star Trek history: a proposed sitcom starring Lwaxana Troi. Now, the story takes an unexpected turn.

When listeners helped identify one of the creators behind the never-produced project, The Trek Files tracked down writer and media innovator Jack Myers, who hadn't seen the pitch document in decades. Together, Larry and Jack revisit Lwaxana in the 24th Century, uncovering how the project came together, Majel Barrett Roddenberry's personal investment in the series, and why Hollywood never gave it a chance.

Jack shares memories of Majel's determination, her frustrations with the industry's limitations, and her belief that Lwaxana could carry a series of her own. Looking back today, many of the pitch's ideas (from AI-powered homes and android assistants to questions of identity, family, and cultural division) feel surprisingly ahead of their time.

It's a rare opportunity to hear the history behind an unproduced Star Trek project directly from one of the people who helped create it, while reflecting on the changing world of television and the legacy of Majel Barrett Roddenberry.

• Lwaxana in the 24th Century pitch treatment (circa 1992)
• Majel Barrett Roddenberry
• Lwaxana Troi
• Jack Myers official site
• Star Trek: The Next Generation
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

The story of Star Trek's officially licensed 1994 stage production continues this week on The Trek Files as actor Adrian Cohen returns to share even more memories from Star Trek: The Lost Voyage of the Enterprise.

Using a rare 1995 review from Total Theatre Magazine as the document of the week, Adrian and Larry Nemecek dig deeper into the ambitious London production that somehow brought transporters, Klingons, time travel, and a full-scale Enterprise bridge to the live stage — all during the height of 1990s Trek mania.

This time, Adrian shares stories from the chaotic opening night when the lighting system catastrophically crashed just hours before curtain, forcing the audience to wait until 9:30 PM for a performance that somehow still became a hit with fans. He also reflects on the enormous pressure of portraying Mr. Spock, the audience reaction to seeing the crew materialize live on stage, and the bittersweet realization that the production's planned Broadway future would never quite materialize.

Along the way, the conversation uncovers surprising connections to Adrian's later move to America, the early career of producer John Gore, and how one strange theatrical experiment became an almost-forgotten chapter of Star Trek history.

• Total Theatre Magazine review of Star Trek: The Lost Voyage of the Enterprise (Spring 1995)
• Adrian Cohen on IMDB
• Reference: Leonard Nimoy
• John Gore on IMDB
• John Gore on BroadwayWorld

The Trek Files Season 15 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!

Before there was streaming Trek or "immersive experiences," there was something almost unbelievable: an officially licensed Star Trek stage play in London in 1994.

This week on The Trek Files, Larry Nemecek welcomes actor Adrian Cohen (credited at the time as Adrian Neil), who played Mr. Spock in the ambitious theatrical production mounted during the height of the Star Trek: The Next Generation era. Using a clipping from the London Evening Standard as the document of the week, Adrian recounts the surreal experience of stepping onto a full-scale Enterprise bridge in front of packed houses of passionate British Trek fans.

What began as a skeptical audition ("I can't play Spock!") quickly evolved into a whirlwind production featuring transporter effects, Klingons, time travel, elaborate costume changes, and even an Enterprise flying out over the audience. Adrian and Larry explore how producer John Gore approached the material with both reverence and playful theatricality, creating something that celebrated Star Trek rather than parodying it.

Along the way, Adrian shares memories of discovering just how intense Trek fandom could be, the pressure of channeling Leonard Nimoy's iconic presence, and the unexpectedly emotional reaction from audiences seeing Star Trek brought to life on stage for the very first time.

This week, The Trek Files points a spotlight at a little-known corner of improbable yet completely inevitable Trek history.

• London Evening Standard clipping covering the 1994 Star Trek stage production
• Reference: Adrian Cohen on IMDB
• Reference: Leonard Nimoy
• John Gore on IMDB
• John Gore on BoradwayWorld

The Trek Files Season 15 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!

Thirty years ago, Star Trek: First Contact brought one of the franchise's most important moments to life: humanity's first meeting with the Vulcans. This week on The Trek Files, host Larry Nemecek welcomes actor, writer, and Does It Fly? co-host Tamara Krinsky for a uniquely personal look behind the scenes of that iconic sequence.

Using an original production call sheet from April 23, 1996, the conversation takes us to the nighttime shoot at Charlton Flats in the Angeles National Forest, where dozens of extras helped populate the post-war settlement that would witness history. Among them was a young aspiring actor named Tamara, hoping to gain experience and maybe earn a coveted SAG card.

What happened next was something straight out of Hollywood legend. During filming, director Jonathan Frakes singled Tamara out from among the crowd, rebuilding part of the scene around her reaction shot. Her featured appearance in the finished film earned her a day-player contract, a SAG membership, and a memory that has stayed with her ever since.

Along the way, Tamara shares stories of chilly overnight shoots, watching the legendary cast at work, and experiencing firsthand the creation of one of Star Trek's most beloved cinematic moments.

• Star Trek: Generations II (Star Trek: First Contact) production call sheet, April 23, 1996
• Reference: Star Trek: First Contact
• Reference: Tamara Krinsky
• Reference: Jonathan Frakes
• Reference: James Cromwell
• Reference: Patrick Stewart
• Does It Fly? podcast

The Trek Files Season 15 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!

The Trek Files welcomes back visual effects veteran Stuart Ziff for a firsthand trip into the making of Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. This time, the documents are original production call sheets from April 1986, detailing the now-legendary "B-Tank" shoot where the Klingon Bird-of-Prey splashed down into San Francisco Bay with George and Gracie the humpback whales.

Stu recalls the practical filmmaking wizardry behind the scenes: giant wave machines, lightning rigs, whale effects, and an enormous outdoor water tank built on the Paramount lot. Along the way, he shares stories about building a mechanical whale eye (for the wrong side of the whale), experimenting with blue dye for the tank water, and watching old Hollywood effects crews create movie magic in real time.

Larry and Stu also circle back to Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Stu's experiences during the turbulent Robert Abel & Associates era, including a revealing memory involving a young Paramount executive named Jeffrey Katzenberg.

It's a fond look back at the kind of filmmaking that required wind machines, carbon-arc lightning effects, scuba divers, towels, and "wetsuits for cast and crew."

Plus: Stu discusses the new documentary being produced about his life and career, and how fans can help support it.

Documents and additional references

• Star Trek IV production call sheets, April 18–24, 1986
• Stuart Ziff documentary campaign: Indiegogo – The Stuart Ziff Documentary
• Reference: Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
• Reference: Leonard Nimoy

The Trek Files Season 15 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!

Before Star Trek: The Motion Picture reached theaters, its visual effects production was already becoming legendary… for all the wrong reasons.

This week on The Trek Files, Larry Nemecek welcomes visual effects veteran Stuart Ziff for a firsthand account of the chaotic early days of TMP production under Robert Abel & Associates. Using internal memos and legal correspondence from 1977 and 1978, Larry and Stu trace the rapidly escalating budget, the mounting pressure from Paramount, and the growing realization that the ambitious effects work was spiraling out of control.

But this isn't just a story about production disaster. Stu shares what it was actually like inside Abel's experimental effects operation during a revolutionary moment in Hollywood filmmaking, where engineers, artists, and filmmakers were inventing techniques on the fly in the years between Star Wars and the digital era.

Along the way, Stu reveals how some of his work survived the production shakeup and made it into the finished film, including contributions to the unforgettable V'Ger probe sequence aboard the Enterprise bridge.

It's a candid look at one of the most turbulent creative periods in Star Trek history, and a reminder that sometimes cinematic magic emerges from absolute chaos.

Documents and additional references:

• December 6, 1977 legal correspondence regarding Robert Abel & Associates' agreement for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
• May 17, 1978 Paramount memo objecting to Robert Abel & Associates' revised visual effects budget.
• Guest: Stu Ziff
• Reference: Star Trek: The Motion Picture
• Additional reference: the upcoming Stu Ziff documentary crowdfunding campaign at Indiegogo – Stuart Ziff Documentary Project

The Trek Files Season 15 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!

What if Star Trek had spun off into a full-blown sitcom starring Lwaxana Troi?

To kick off Season 15 of The Trek Files, Larry Nemecek welcomes actor, writer, comedian, and Star Trek: Lower Decks star Tawny Newsome for a deep dive into an early-1990s pitch centered on Majel Barrett Roddenberry's Betazoid ambassador.

The document up for discussion is a never-produced sitcom concept built around Lwaxana Troi; equal parts fish-out-of-water comedy, family chaos, and larger-than-life Trek energy. Together, Larry and Tawny unpack why the pitch feels both very of-its-time and strangely ahead of its time, especially now that Star Trek comedy has found new life through projects like Lower Decks.

As someone who has not only starred in Trek comedy but also developed her own comedic Trek ideas, Tawny brings a unique perspective to the conversation: what makes sci-fi comedy work and how Gene Roddenberry's world always had room for humor alongside the philosophy and adventure.

It's a fascinating look at a road not taken in Star Trek history and a reminder that sometimes the weirdest ideas in the archive are the most revealing.

Documents and additional references

• ca. 1992 sitcom pitch centered on Lwaxana Troi and a proposed Star Trek comedy spinoff
• Guest: Tawny Newsome
• Reference: Lwaxana Troi
• Additional reference: Star Trek: Lower Decks

The Trek Files Season 15 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!