playnext.fm

The Trek Files: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast

The Star Trek Guide - April 17, 1967

·21 min·2 clips
Larry Nemecek reveals the Star Trek Guide's blunt warning to writers who dismiss character actions as 'just science fiction'.
The episode begins with an advertisement for Hunter Douglas shades, followed by host Larry Nemecek introducing The Trek Files as a podcast delving into Roddenberry Entertainment archives. Nemecek explains this episode revisits the Star Trek Guide from April 17, 1967, specifically pages about the 'believability factor'. Guest Glenn Henderson, a businessman, author, and success coach, returns to discuss the document. Henderson reacts to a line from the guide that dismisses writers who excuse character actions by saying 'it's science fiction'. He emphasizes that Star Trek, like all good sci-fi, is rooted in real human relationships. The conversation shifts to the Star Trek episode 'Let That Be Your Last Battlefield', which Henderson interprets as being about obsession, hatred, and vengeance rather than just racism. He describes a scene where the character Beale is physically contorted, unwilling to consider other viewpoints. Nemecek and Henderson analyze how Gene Roddenberry used allegory in episodes like 'Plato's Stepchildren' and 'Let That Be Your Last Battlefield' to comment on race relations under network censorship constraints. They discuss the historical context of the 1960s, when sci-fi faced skepticism from TV audiences and writers, leading Roddenberry to ground Star Trek in military hierarchies and real-world parallels. Nemecek notes the guide was a tool to train TV writers in sci-fi and rein in sci-fi novelists for producible scripts. Henderson talks about his new book 'It's Not About the Destination', which draws life lessons from Star Trek, and his focus on the original series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager. He reflects on how Star Trek's themes of friendship, leadership, and truth have influenced his life and career, making it easier to apply these principles over time. The episode concludes with promotional details for Henderson's book, the Trek Files community on Patreon and Discord, and other Roddenberry podcasts.

As heard by us

Two Star Trek episodes prompt a conversation about what viewers notice, miss, and remember.

The Trek Files opens with "The Star Trek Guide, April 17th, 1967," then turns to "Let That Be Your Last Battlefield." Larry Nemechek and another speaker wonder whether viewers first missed the reversal in the characters' black and white markings.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You remember the two faces in 'Let That Be Your Last Battlefield'; did you catch that their black and white sides are reversed?

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →
Listen to the show on
Apple PodcastsSpotify
Play clips from this episodeMore from The Trek Files: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast