Larry Nemecek, all around Star Trek expert and author of multiple Trek reference books, is launching a new podcast today.
The weekly 15-minute program, produced through the Roddenberry Podcast Network, will showcase documents – many of them unseen until now – contained in Gene Roddenberry’s personal archive. Each episode will be about one document, and Larry will be joined by a guest who will help provide “its original context as well as its relevance for today’s Trek and the world at large.” The first group of guests include “The Trek Files” co-producer and Mission Log podcast co-host John Champion, the legendary story editor of TOS, TAS, and TNG associate producer Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana, and Dave Rossi, longtime assistant to Rick Berman and associate producer on Enterprise and the TOS Remastered project.
For more information and to get listen to the first episode, visit roddenberry.com.
Full press release
“THE TREK FILES” PODCAST TO DEBUT JAN. 23:
A WEEKLY GENE RODDENBERRY ARCHIVES DEEP-DIVE
HOSTED BY “DR. TREK,” LARRY NEMECEK
Going where no Star Trek podcast has gone before, “The Trek Files” debuts Jan. 23 as a weekly “look” deep into the mostly unseen archives of Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, hosted by Larry “Dr. Trek” Nemecek on the Roddenberry Podcast Network.
On each 15-minute episode, Nemecek will be joined by a guest to examine a specially selected “document of the week,” recalling its original context as well as its relevance for today’s Trek and the world at large.
“Even with all the Star Trek “archiving” going on now, there are so many papers and memos in my dad’s archives that still have not seen the light of day,” said Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, executive producer on the new program, an EP on “Star Trek: Discovery” from CBS All Access, and family overseer of his father’s legacy. “I’m so excited to get into these plans, notes, and letters from him and those he worked with—and share them now for all to see. And who better to lead this look at these people and their times in the right context than “Dr. Trek,” Larry Nemecek?”
“When Rod approached me with this concept— to boldly go into Gene’s mind where no archivist had gone before!—I was honored, yes, but really just downright thrilled,” Nemecek said. “We’re only just now going through some of these folders and finding things that no one has been privy to. To be getting into the nitty-gritty of not just the 1960s papers, but bringing a sharp focus to what we’ve only known as fuzzy facts: Reactions, and paths not taken, and even “creative differences”— from the would-be “first movie” ideas of the 70s, the path through the 1980s movies and then the TV revival with The Next Generation.”
“I’ve enjoyed appearing on lots of quality Trek, geek and media geek podcasts, and still will, “ Nemecek adds, “since I decided years ago never to host my own only to just pile on more of the ‘same-o, same-o’ out there. That’s what I love about doing “The Trek Files”: we certainly add something unique and fresh to the Trek conversation, and to Gene’s colorful and even controversial legacy.”
Putting in multiple appearances in the first round of guests are:
— John Champion, series co-producer and co-host of the network’s flagship Mission Log podcast;
—Dave Rossi, associate producer on Enterprise and the original Star Trek Remastered project, and a longtime assistant to former Trek EP Rick Berman; and
—Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana, legendary story editor for the original series, story editor/associate producer for The Animated Series, TNG associate producer and writer of its pilot episode—and creator of so much original Spock/Vulcan background.
Gene Roddenberry, creator of the original “Star Trek” and “Star Trek: The Next Generation” series that led to the groundbreaking 50-year franchise that followed, died in 1991. Many of his papers have been donated to his namesake archive collection at UCLA, but “The Trek Files” is about to look at documents even apart from those.
Listeners each week will not only be able to download the episodes for listening, but scans of the document in question as well—all at the program’s hub on Facebook, www.facebook.com/TheTrekFiles. Lead-off sponsor is Eaglemoss Collections, maker of the Star Trek Starships Collection and magazine.
Seen as a progressive futurist whose ideas form the core of Star Trek’s unifying optimism, Roddenberry’s ideas and storytelling have attracted a global audience whose devotion over 50 years led to an unprecedented franchise revival in the 1970s that soon “wrote the book” on what modern pop culture franchises and fanbases look like.
“We’ve already found one memo that knocked me out of my chair— I had no idea anything like it even existed, “ Nemecek adds. “We have another that speaks directly to the initial theme of Discovery, verbatim, 40 years later. But for each episode, the idea was to select a document and focus on shedding light on these newly-found comments that have affected every Trek incarnation since, long after Gene’s passing. I can’t wait to share them with the world.”
Aside from the single weekly links for downloading podcast and documents at “The Trek Files” Facebook page, regular subscribers can get aboard at podcast.roddenberry.com, which will point to other preferred podcatchers like iTunes, and the TrekFM network master feed
I hope this is a ‘warts and all’ thing, for sure Roddenberry was a great man and a progressive thinker. But, like all of us, he had his demons and faults – though, unlike some, he also acknowledged when he was wrong.
Roddenberry once spoke of overcoming his own homophobia. In a 1991 interview with The Humanist, he remarked:
“My attitude toward homosexuality has changed. I came to the conclusion that I was wrong. I was never someone who hunted down ‘fags’ as we used to call them on the street. I would, sometimes, say something anti-homosexual off the top of my head because it was thought, in those days, to be funny. I never really deeply believed those comments, but I gave the impression of being thoughtless in these areas. I have, over many years, changed my attitude about gay men and women.”
I wonder if Discovery will cause some of the more bigoted Trekkies to adjust their world-view and overcome their own issues?
Will Larry keep his ability to interupt others people to “jump in” and make what he feels are important not-to-be-missed points?
You think he’s bad? Try listening to a KISS podcast like 3 Sides of the Coin. Those people are so deep into fan wankdom that they’ll forget they even have a guest.
The only critique I ever have of Larry is when he fails to Nemecek Himself Before He Wrecks Himself.
Sounds cool.
I wish them luck.
Larry is the greatest. I could listen to him talk about Star Trek for hours. This should be an interesting podcast, especially if he has guests to give their input.
Sounds like a good idea, but a 15 minute podcast is very short… is it even worth it?