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Larry Nemecek, whose books and articles on Star Trek have established him as one of the leading historians of the franchise, has launched a new Star Trek-based podcast.

Going where no Star Trek podcast has gone before, “The Trek Files” debuts January 23 as a weekly “look” deep into the mostly unseen archives of Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, hosted by 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.

“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.