Roddenberry II: Pretty Maids All In a Row.

Despite having written dozens of hours of television, Gene Roddenberry is only responsible for writing one feature film. That film is Pretty Maids All In a Row, directed by Roger Vadim and starring Rock Hudson.

In this episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max are joined by film critic Todd Gilchrist to take a look at the film, which Roddenberry also produced. We discuss the social commentary present in an otherwise exploitational sex comedy, the simililarities between Roddenberry and Vadim as artists, and whether or not this film is the missing piece in understanding Roddenberry's personality. We also ponder why Quentin Tarantino calls it one of the best films of all time.

Roddenberry Part 5: The Questor Tapes.

Out of all of Gene Roddenberry’s failed pilots, The Questor Tapes is the one that came closest to getting picked up. It tells the story of an android who has been placed on Earth to oversee humanity’s progress.

This week, Max and Mike examine the pilot, which starred Robert Foxworth as Questor the android, and Mike Farrell as his trusty human sidekick, Jerry. We discuss how the show itself would have differed from the pilot, its similarities to “Assignment: Earth,” the main character’s similarities to Data, the recent attempt at resurrecting the series, how the director may or may not have been responsible for the failure of the Ferengi, and how the writer may or may not have been responsible for the success of Star Trek: The Original Series. We also touch briefly on the last of Roddenberry’s failed pilots, Spectre.

Roddenberry Part 8: Recap.

Gene Roddenberry is obviously best known as the creator of Star Trek. But over the course of his career, he created numerous other television series—most of which never made it past the pilot stage.

This week, Mike and Max conclude their look at Gene Roddenberry as a television creator with a recap of his career. We take a look back at all of his shows, including The Lieutenant, Star Trek: The Original Series, Assignment: Earth, Genesis II, Star Trek: The Animated Series, The Questor Tapes, Spectre, Star Trek: Phase II, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Earth: Final Conflict, and finally, Andromeda, in an attempt to draw some conclusions on his body of work overall.

Roddenberry Part 7: Andromeda.

With the relative success of Earth: Final Conflict, the Roddenberry estate, along with Tribune Entertainment, began production on a second series based on Gene Roddenberry’s unused concepts. Andromeda was developed by Deep Space Nine writer Robert Hewitt Wolf in 2000, and lasted five seasons in syndication. It starred Kevin Sorbo as Dylan Hunt, the Captain of the starship Andromeda, and featured many elements which had originally been tested by Roddenberry in Genesis II.

This week, Max and Mike are once again joined by Colin of Trek News and Views to cover the final series created by Gene Roddenberry. We discuss which elements originated from Roddenberry and which ones came from Wolfe, whether or not the budgetary limitations were a hindrance, the reasons for Wolfe’s departure from the show, the casting of Sorbo, the Jason X connection, Captain Hunt’s superpowers, the post-Wolfe era’s lack of direction, and whether or not Roddenberry would have created the show himself.

Roddenberry Part 6: Earth: Final Conflict.

Six years after Gene Roddenberry’s death, the first of two shows based on his concepts was produced. Earth: Final Conflict dealt with a futuristic society in which aliens, seeking refuge on Earth, share their advanced technology with humanity.

This week, Mike and Max are joined by Colin, the host of Trek News and Views, to cover the posthumous work of Gene Roddenberry as a television creator. We discuss the show’s ever-changing premise, its ever-changing cast, its unrealized potential, the proposed spinoff, the head writer’s other work, how much of the concept was Roddenberry’s, and whether or not he would have made the show himself.

Roddenberry Part 4: Genesis II.

Throughout the 1970’s, Gene Roddenberry developed numerous pilots which never went to series. The first of these was Genesis II, starring Alex Cord, about a scientist who wakes up from suspended animation to find a post-apocalyptic future.

In this week’s episode of Commentary: Trek Stars, Mike and Max take a look at Genesis II as well as its revised pilot, “Planet Earth.” We discuss the show’s similarities to other science fiction of the time period, the portrayal of the main character, the other incarnations of the concept, and the awesomeness of Percy Rodriguez’s voice.

Roddenberry Part 3: Assignment: Earth.

After two seasons on the air, the cancellation of Star Trek seemed to be inevitable. In order to hedge his bets, Gene Roddenberry designed the probable series finale to be a backdoor pilot for a new show entitled Assignment: Earth.

This week, Max and Mike are joined by Trek.fm’s TOS editor Drew Stewart to discuss what “Assignment: Earth” is and what it would have been, how it differs from Trek’s portrayal of Roddenberry’s world view, how it worked as a self-contained pilot and as an episode of Star Trek, and whether or not season one of Assignment: Earth would have been preferable to season three of Star Trek.

Roddenberry Part 2: The Lieutenant.

Star Trek is not the only show to be created by Gene Roddenberry. Three years prior, Gary Lockwood (aka Gary Mitchell) starred as The Lieutenant in Gene Roddenberry’s debut series about a U.S. Marine Corps officer serving during peace time.

This week, Mike and Max examine an episode which features numerous Trek cast and crew members (including Leonard Nimoy) in an attempt to determine what the series on the whole was like. We discuss what makes The Lieutenant different from other military shows, how those differences reflect Roddenberry’s world view, how the Vietnam War killed the show, what the similarities are between The Lieutenant and Star Trek, and how the failure of The Lieutenant may have shaped Star Trek into the show it would eventually become. We also examine the landscape of television in the early ’60s and debate whether or not “Mitchell” is the best episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

Roddenberry Part 1: Star Trek.

This week, Max and Mike begin a series which looks at the career of Gene Roddenberry as a television creator. Part 1 examines Roddenberry’s work in Star Trek. We discuss the impact that The Original Series had on the medium, the mystery of why The Animated Series didn’t work at all, what The Motion Picture tells us about how Phase II would’ve been, and how Roddenberry’s take on The Next Generation has influenced the franchise since his death. So grab a cup of tea, Earl Grey, hot, and settle in for half an hour of semi-entertaining musings.