This week, The Trek Files returns to one of our most personal corners of Trek history.

Reinelda Estupinian,known lovingly as Reina, joins us again to share rare family photos and her firsthand memories of life inside the Roddenberry household. Hired in 1974 as a nanny for six-month-old Rod Roddenberry, Reina became a trusted part of the family for over three decades, eventually working closely with Majel Barrett Roddenberry at Lincoln Enterprises.

Reina shares candid and touching stories of those years: traveling with the family, managing Majel's whirlwind convention life, and offering emotional support through Gene's declining health and Majel's final days. With affection and a few sitcom-worthy anecdotes, she paints a vivid picture of the private lives behind Star Trek's public legacy.

📸 Document and additional references: A collection of rare Roddenberry family photos from Reina's personal archives

The Trek Files Season 14 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!

What happens when fans learn their beloved Star Trek is returning, but not the way they expect?

This week on The Trek Files, we take a mid-season dive into the pre-internet letter-writing era of fandom with a look at Interstat #109, a Star Trek "LOC-zine" published just after the announcement of The Next Generation in late 1986. With Mission Log host and producer John Champion joining Larry, we revisit that first wave of passionate, skeptical, and sometimes prophetic reactions from fans adjusting to the idea of Star Trek without Kirk, Spock, or the original cast.

From fears about recasting to early excitement about a new crew, these letters reveal a fandom both resistant to change and deeply hopeful for Trek's future. And while the tone may be more thoughtful than today's drive-by social media culture, the underlying emotions haven't changed.

Together, John and Larry reflect on how fandom evolves, why backlash often masks deep investment, and how publications like Interstat helped shape the Trek we know today—slowly, one stamp at a time.

📄 Document and additional references: Interstat Issue #109 (November 1986)

The Trek Files Season 14 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!

In the 1993 Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Interface," Geordi La Forge uses experimental technology to remotely explore a stranded starship and is confronted by a deeply personal mystery. Was the image of his mother real, or something else entirely?

This week, returning guest Dr. David Williams joins Larry to explore the real-world science behind this episode. Using a vintage press summary as our entry point, they discuss how TNG anticipated advances in virtual interfaces and robotics: technologies that now drive space exploration through probes, planetary rovers, and immersive control systems.

From the Voyager missions to Mars rovers and the growing role of augmented reality in mission planning, Star Trek's tech continues to align with our scientific future. Along the way, Dave and Larry reflect on the emotional themes of "Interface," and how fiction about space helps us prepare for its most human dimensions.

📄 Document and additional references: Paramount press summary for TNG "Interface" (1993)

The Trek Files Season 14 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!