Commentary: Trek Stars 3: Proto-Roddenberry

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.