In the Star Trek: Voyager episode, “Unimatrix Zero,” Seven discovers a secret within the Borg Collective: a hidden dream state where drones live as individuals. When Voyager learns they’re under threat, Janeway sees an opportunity: help the resistance and strike a blow to the Queen. But to do it, she’ll have to get assimilated first. It’s part one of “Unimatrix Zero” this week on Mission Log.
Hosted by John Champion and Norman Lao
Welcome to Mission Log, a Roddenberry Entertainment podcast, where we explore the Star Trek universe one episode at a time. Each week, Mission Log examines a single episode of Star Trek, diving into its ethical subtext, metaphors, and cultural significance. From the show’s most iconic moments to its hidden gems, we analyze what makes Star Trek one of the greatest science fiction sagas of all time. In every episode of Mission Log we…
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SPECIAL THANKS the supporters of this week’s show: Chris Garis, Julie Miller, Stuart, Michael Park, Paul Shadwell, Matt Esposito, Alan Simonis, Mike Richards, David Takechi, Mike Schiable, VADM Erickson, and Lars Seme Thanks to all of our Patreon Supporters https://www.missionlogpodcast.com/sponsors/ Want to share your thoughts on an upcoming episode? Email us at MissionLog@Roddenberry.com for a chance to be featured during the episode. Follow us on Social Media:
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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
With five seasons of #StarTrekLowerDecks in the rear view mirror, Chris Prynoski (President of Titmouse, Inc.) and managing director Barry Kelly drop by Mission Log Live to discuss the making of the series and answer callers’ questions.
🌟 About Mission Log: Live:
Mission Log Live is a call-in show that encourages fan participation. We discuss episodes, themes, and the future of Star Trek while welcoming your thoughts and insights during the broadcast.
🔍 In This Episode:
Open lines for viewers to share their hopes and predictions for the series.
Live reactions to viewer questions and comments, making it an interactive experience!
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In this supplemental episode of Mission Log: Prodigy, Char and Marina welcome writer Jennifer Muro to the show. Muro has worked with several well-known franchises, such as DC, Marvel, and Star Wars, but as a lifelong Star Trek fan, working on Star Trek has been one of her favorite experiences in her career. Char and Marina learn details about working on Prodigy’s second season, the contributions Jen’s most proud of, and tidbits about scenes cut from the four episodes she wrote for the show.
🌟 About Prodigy: Star Trek: Prodigy follows a group of young aliens who stumble upon an abandoned Starfleet ship, igniting an adventure to seek a better future. Packed with thrilling adventures, moral lessons, and the iconic Star Trek values, this series captivates audiences with its compelling storytelling and dynamic characters.
🔍 In This Episode:
Our hosts break down the Messages, Morals, and Meanings woven into this episode.
Explore how the events of this episode fit into the bigger picture of the season’s storyline.
We’ll discuss pivotal moments, major character developments, and what this episode reveals about the characters’ journeys.
Uncover connections to previous Star Trek lore and explore how this episode ties into the larger Star Trek universe.
💬 Join the Conversation: We want to hear your thoughts! What messages stood out to you? How do you think this episode shapes the season’s narrative? Share your theories and reactions with us by leaving a comment!
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Mission Log: Prodigy is produced by Roddenberry Entertainment. Executive Producer: Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry. For more great content, visit Roddenberry Podcasts.
Produced and edited by Earl Green.
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Thank you for listening, and let’s keep exploring the stars together!
As we bring this Mission Log: The Orville journey to a close, we’re excited to welcome back André Bormanis—author of The Guide to The Orville, science consultant for Star Trek, and a key creative force behind The Orville since its inception. André shares insights from working on all three seasons, reflects on the evolution of the show, and discusses his approach to blending science with storytelling.
🌟 And we’re thrilled to announce the winners of our Master Replicas giveaway!
🎉 Congratulations to all the winners! If you didn’t win this time, don’t worry—more exciting content and giveaways are coming your way.
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Credits: Technical Director: Earl Green Producer: John Champion Executive Producer: Eugene Roddenberry
Produced by Roddenberry Entertainment | All Rights Reserved
Welcome to Gene-ology, a podcast by Roddenberry Entertainment that dives deep into the early TV writing works of Gene Roddenberry.
In Gene’s final script for the British-Australian series Whiplash, an actress from a roaming theater troupe finds herself giving an improv performance with the highest possible stakes, and we find Gene slipping the audience a message about grace and mercy. Hosted by Earl Green & Ashley Thomas
About Gene-ology
Gene-ology explores Gene Roddenberry’s early television scripts, including his lesser-known works before Star Trek using the Mission Log format popularized by Roddenberry Podcasts. We analyze the themes, writing style, and cultural impact of his scripts, and we even unearth stories from the Roddenberry archives that were never produced. Join us as we trace the roots of Gene’s creative genius.
In This Episode
A breakdown of key moments and themes in “The Actress.”
Exploring Gene Roddenberry’s evolving style and storytelling.
How this episode ties into the broader TV landscape of the time and reflects the early seeds of Roddenberry’s visionary work.
Guest stars and unique production elements that bring this episode to life.
Special Segment: Dramatic Recreation
Since this episode was never produced (or the original video can’t be found), we’ve brought it to life with a dramatic recreation! Special guests Gigi Edgley and Bo Nicholson perform a key section of the script as Genevieve Rochelle and Mike Upton. Listen in as they bring the story to life in this exclusive performance.
Join the Conversation What did you think of this episode? Share your thoughts, theories, and favorite moments in the comments or reach out to us on social media or email us at missionlog@roddenberry.com
Did you know Roddenberry Podcasts is on YouTube? Find the video versions of your favorite shows like Mission Log: Prodigy, Mission Log: The Orville, as well as exclusive content only available on YouTube.
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Our shows are part of the Roddenberry Entertainment family. For more great shows and to learn how we live the legacy of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek, follow us here: RODDENBERRY PODCASTS https://www.instagram.com/RoddenberryPodcasts RODDENBERRY ENTERTAINMENT https://www.instagram.com/RoddenberryOfficial RODDENBERRY FOUNDATION https://www.instagram.com/TheRoddenberryFoundation
Support the Show For as little as $1 a month, you can gain access to our Mission Log Discord Community! There, we continue the discussion with dedicated channels and a weekly video chat with the hosts. Become a member of our Patreon today! https://www.Patreon.com/MissionLog
Subscribe and Stay Tuned Be sure to subscribe to Gene-ology for more deep dives into Gene Roddenberry’s early works. New episodes are released regularly as we uncover more of Gene’s television legacy.
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Gene-ology is produced by Roddenberry Entertainment. Executive producer Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry. Visit https://Podcasts.Roddenberry.com for more great content. Edited by Earl Green.
May 2001 marked a major transition as Star Trek: Voyager had just wrapped, and Enterprise was ramping up production. With little time to exhale, the crew jumped into a new era: new cast, new look, even new tech (farewell, hand-written call sheets!). But as always, the most revealing stories live between the lines. First Assistant Director Mike DeMeritt returns to The Trek Files to help decode a pair of call sheets and share what they say about how Trek kept boldly going behind the scenes.
Document and additional references: Voyager and Enterprise call sheets – May 2001
The Trek Files Season 13 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!
From unlikely beginnings – a character created to introduce music videos to UK audiences – sprang a trailblazing, underappreciated #cyberpunk chapter in American genre TV. Sci-Fi 5 reloads Max Headroom into your memory.
Follow Sci-Fi 5 for your daily dose of science-fiction history.
Written by Shane Vaughn
Hosted by Ryan Myers
Music by Devin Curry
Blade Runner takes the concept of A.I. to its logical conclusion by merging it with artificial consciousness and biology. Is this the future we’re headed toward?
“Wake up, time to die!”
When Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner was first brought to the screen in 1982, the notion of “artificial intelligence” as we have come to know it, was a niche subject at best. If you can believe it, the idea of a personal computer in every home (never mind in your pocket) was enough of a novelty for most people that the concept of androids so lifelike that you could barely tell them apart from actual human beings felt about as far-fetched as a lightsaber or a chestburster, despite the film’s low key and distinctly film noir approach to science fiction.
Ah, but what a difference a couple of decades makes. Today your social media feeds are flooded with lifelike AI images of people who don’t exist, swarmed with engagement by bots, depicts video of events that never took place and even music that was never composed by a human. People talk to ChatGPT when they’re lonely. While that’s still an order of magnitude away from putting an indistinguishable artificial intelligence into a similarly indistinguishable biomechanical body, who knows what advances in technology might bring us in another 20 years?
Which brings us to our latest episode, which as you can probably figure out, is putting the concept of replicants from Blade Runner to the test.
Watch the latest episode of Does it Fly? right here…
https://youtu.be/GU8SgYWDaMI
SUGGESTED VIEWING
There’s more to the Blade Runner franchise than you might initially suspect, but for our discussion in this episode we only focused on the two feature films, Blade Runner and Blade Runner 2049. Everything you need to know is contained in those, and honestly, there are those among us who think the sequel might surpass the original in some ways.
But if you want to dive into the entire screen franchise in timeline order, we’ve got a handy viewing list for you.
Blade Runner
Blade Runner Black Out 2022 (anime short film)
Blade Runner: Black Lotus (anime TV series)
2036: Nexus Dawn (short film)
2048: Nowhere to Run (short film)
Blade Runner 2049
FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in today’s episode? Of course you do!
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Philip K. Dick’s 1968 novel forms the basis for the entire Blade Runner franchise. It’s considerably different from the first movie, although elements of it also made it into Blade Runner 2049.
Building Replicant Bodies
There are two key parts of the scientific debate surrounding replicants. Let’s start with the physical, because these aren’t mere robots, they’re biological organisms in their own right. Hakeem points to the field of regenerative medicine (perhaps best known to the general public for work with stem cells) for its ability to grow working organs and body parts in lab conditions as the first key to bringing artificial humans to life in a way that would be almost undetectable.
See also:organoids and artificial wombs for some of the more stunning possibilities.
Artificial Consciousness
There’s a difference between artificial intelligence (which is a rapidly evolving field and one we continue to litigate the ethics of as it relates to creativity) and artificial consciousness. The replicants as depicted in Blade Runner, especially the film’s villain, Roy Batty, would seem to have achieved consciousness and an attendant awareness and fear of their own mortality. And there are indeed people studying the possibility of artificial consciousness and the ethical implications that might come with that.
Talk to us when there’s artificial empathy, then we might feel better (and of course, there’s a test for that!).
“Night, Wet, Smoke”
The three key visual ingredients Ridley Scott used to create his sci-fi noir are discussed in detail here.
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
For a different look at artificial life, cybernetics, and the intersection between humanity and machine, check out our episode on RoboCop right here!
This isn’t the first Ridley Scott movie we’ve tackled here. Check out our look at the original Alien and the terrifying perfection of the xenomorph right here.
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Check out the official Does it Fly? playlist, too!
She’s the voice of the computer on Star Trek Prodigy but when Bonnie Gordon isn’t acting or singing she’s hanging with some ghosts. That’s right chanteuse Bonnie Gordon loves ghosts! She tells host Clare Kramer and guest co-host Jake Marin all about how she first got into spirits, her most memorable paranormal encounters, and even how her an her mom have been written about in ghost hunting books. Only on Fanaddicts!
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Talking with Rod Roddenberry about Rachel and Trent’s experience hosting Quoting Gene Roddenberry. They share how their initial expectations were exceeded by the rich conversations around 100 of Gene Roddenberry’s quotes.
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