{"podcast":{"title":"The Trek Files: A Roddenberry Star Trek Podcast","slug":"the-trek-files-a-roddenberry-star-trek-podcast-6385998","podcast_index_feed_id":6385998,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/112755/rss","website_url":"http://thetrekfiles.com","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/1/7/0/9/1709ef3a01266ca0/TTF-Cover-1400x1400.jpg","author":"Roddenberry Entertainment","episode_count":349,"summary":"Your weekly deep-dive into the archives of Roddenberry Entertainment, from the personal files of Gene Roddenberry. Each week, \"Dr. Trek\" himself, Larry Nemecek, and his guest host will take a behind-the-scenes look at documents that haven't been viewed in decades—many being revealed publicly for the very first time!","last_synced_at":"2026-07-21T16:19:16.461968+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-trek-files-a-roddenberry-star-trek-podcast-6385998"},"episode":{"title":"14-3 Artifacts and Aspirations – Trek's Smithsonian Legacy","slug":"14-3-artifacts-and-aspirations-trek-s-smithsonian-legacy","published_at":"2025-09-23T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-trek-files-a-roddenberry-star-trek-podcast-6385998/14-3-artifacts-and-aspirations-trek-s-smithsonian-legacy","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-trek-files-a-roddenberry-star-trek-podcast-6385998","url":"https://thetrekfiles.trekfm.libsynpro.com/14-3-artifacts-and-aspirations-treks-smithsonian-legacy","audio_url":"https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/traffic.libsyn.com/secure/thetrekfiles/14-03_GR_correspondence_Air_and_Space_1970.mp3?dest-id=631303","summary":"How did Star Trek go from television soundstage to national treasure? This week, we continue our conversation with Glen Swanson , former NASA historian and author of Inspired Enterprise , to explore a deeper chapter in Trek's relationship with the Smithsonian. Through an exchange of letters between Gene Roddenberry and F.C. Durant , Assistant Director of the National Air and Space Museum, we trace the efforts to secure original Star Trek props and artifacts—including what would ultimately bring the 11-foot U.S.S. Enterprise model into the museum's collection. Beyond acquisition logistics, these letters reveal Durant's belief in the inspirational power of Star Trek, how its optimistic vision of the future helped fuel real-world enthusiasm for space exploration. From ZAP pistols to starship models, this is the story of how Star Trek boldly went into the Smithsonian… and stayed. 📄 Documents and additional references: 1970–1972 correspondence between Gene Roddenberry and the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum 📘 Guest's book: Inspired Enterprise by Glen E. Swanson 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 !","meta_description":"How did Star Trek go from television soundstage to national treasure? This week, we continue our conversation with Glen Swanson , former NASA historian an…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1568,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-trek-files-a-roddenberry-star-trek-podcast-6385998/episodes/14-3-artifacts-and-aspirations-trek-s-smithsonian-legacy/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-trek-files-a-roddenberry-star-trek-podcast-6385998/14-3-artifacts-and-aspirations-trek-s-smithsonian-legacy.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}