The Written Trek

The Alternative Factor (Episode 21)

Arguably the worst episode of the first season. Here's why.

16 hrs ago • Stephen C. Smith

June 2026

Arena (Episode 20)

Plagiarism is a writer's worst nightmare. Star Trek's "Arena" was lifted from a 1944 short story by Fredric Brown.

Jun 12 • Stephen C. Smith

April 2026

The Squire of Gothos (Episode 19)

Is Trelane a Q?

Apr 24 • Stephen C. Smith

Shore Leave (Episode 18)

Yet another prominent science fiction writer struggled with adapting to the format and pressures of network television.

Apr 5 • Stephen C. Smith

February 2026

The Menagerie (Episodes 16-17)

Gene Roddenberry recycled Star Trek's first pilot "The Cage" into a two-part episode.

Feb 17 • Stephen C. Smith

1

January 2026

Court Martial (Episode 15)

The name Mankiewicz means you're Hollywood royalty. But it doesn't mean you can write Star Trek.

Jan 30 • Stephen C. Smith

2

December 2025

The Galileo Seven (Episode 14)

A once-blacklisted screenwriter's script was saved by a plastic model toy maker.

Dec 28, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

2

November 2025

The Conscience of the King (Episode 13)

Shakespeare in Space!

Nov 8, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

1

October 2025

Miri (Episode 12)

Grace Lee Whitney was sexually assaulted while filming this episode, then was told her contract would not be renewed.

Oct 13, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

2

Book Review: When HARLIE Was One (Release 2.0)

Author David Gerrold wrote a novel first published in 1972 that seems eerily prescient in 2025.

Oct 7, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

1

A Visit to the Enterprise

The Star Trek tour in Ticonderoga, New York features replicas of the NCC-1701 sets, which were used in the "New Voyages" fan series.

Oct 4, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

September 2025

Dagger of the Mind (Episode 11)

As pressures built on him to deliver an action-adventure show on time and on budget, Gene Roddenberry personally rewrote yet another writer's script.

Sep 13, 2025 • Stephen C. Smith

1