Larry Nemecek

Larry Wayne Nemecek is a noted Star Trek speaker, host, author, consultant, archivist, editor, and producer. He is married to onetime script coordinator Janet Nemecek and now develops a number of projects under his Trekland banner, including the Portal 47 monthly deep-dive fan experience and Trekland Treks custom film site day tours. He is the host on the Roddenberry Entertainment podcast . His other works include Trekland Tuesdays LIVE, Second Opinion, and Cadet Alice Talks Prodigy on YouTube and Facebook.
A native Oklahoman, Nemecek began considering news and communications as a career in high school after being inspired by a teacher in his journalism class. He majored in theater at college with a journalism minor, and began writing about Star Trek because "all the Will Rogers and Sooners football books had been written." He also cites Stephen Edward Poe's classic The Making of Star Trek and Bjo Trimble's Star Trek Concordance as seminal influences in entertainment and genre writing. 
== Star Trek fandom ==
As an undergrad at East Central University, Nemecek started a science-fiction fan club with his best friend Kevin Hopkins, called "Starbase ECU". His favorite character was Leonard McCoy and in make-up class, he chose a Tellarite for his non-realistic character project.
While a young newspaper reporter and editor, he chaired publicity for Oklahoma City's SoonerCons and in 1991 founded ThunderCon there as an all-media/Star Trek charity convention. In , after the publication of his first professional book, Nemecek began sharing his stories and archives with humor as a guest at conventions worldwide.
Nemecek had a long-distance correspondence with fellow Star Trek fan and artist/author Geoffrey Mandel, growing out of points in the Star Fleet Medical Reference Manual (Ballantine). Early drafts of Star Trek star maps that Nemecek had created led them to work together when Mandel intended to publish them in fanzine form, but when Mandel was asked to finish the incomplete Star Trek Maps for Bantam Books, he managed to include only Nemecek's data in the greatly reduced scale of the format.
In 1988, Nemecek began writing an annual episode guide and concordance fanzine for the then-new . "I wrote it as an update of Bjo's Concordance when TNG started because it needed one – no Internet, no pro books [about the new series]; I was told Bjo was in line but wasn't working on it," Nemecek remembered. "If nothing else, I'd have it/need it for my own use. Each one covered each season, as released." (Information from Larry Nemecek)
In 1989, Nemecek met with Gene Roddenberry in his office. He was personally thanked by Roddenberry for writing the annual reference works, which the staff used as an ongoing update to their writers' research needs.
Though he had initially planned to publish a collected edition of his annual TNG guides, Nemecek was confronted by the constantly changing nature of the Star Trek publishing world. "Before I got a chance to collate them," he said, "the world had turned and the Encyclopedia was done." (Information from Larry Nemecek) Nemecek was, however, credited (along with Bjo Trimble) as having served as one of two Research Consultants for the Star Trek Encyclopedia, as the writers of that book had used his writings (and Trimble's) to help jumpstart their work on that book, due to a short deadline.
== Professional career ==
Instead of the reference of terms and entries, in 1992 Nemecek was offered the chance to author a "making-of" book covering TNG— which became the classic bestseller . He later updated this in and in 2003. His text commentary also appeared in the CD version.
In , after moving to Los Angeles, Nemecek and his wife Janet pitched and sold a story, "Reflections", for the yet-to-air series . It was shelved for six years before being updated and written as , an episode for Voyagers last season in .
His earlier work with the franchise's fictional/factual astrography came full-circle with the late 2013 publication of Star Trek: Stellar Cartography, an officially licensed book and ten-map poster set he authored and oversaw for becker&mayer! and 47North / Amazon. That project, in turn, updated and expanded 2002's Star Trek: Star Charts – a reunion of sorts with onetime Star Trek Maps colleague Mandel, where Nemecek was a contributor, offering the chapter introductions and other research. 
He now hosts for Roddenberry Podcasts, launched in as a weekly twenty-minute look, with a guest, at papers, letters, memos, and other documents from Gene Roddenberry's own archives. On the same day, he tackles "big picture" current Star Trek topics on Trekland Tuesdays LIVE each week on his own "Trekland" channel at 1 pm Pacific time. From to during the COVID-19 pandemic, he co-hosted Life Support LIVE, a weekly Saturday morning YouTube show co-hosted with Dr. Ali Mattu designed "To Boldly Go through uncertain times" with fun yet helpful mental health insights gleaned across all Trek.
In 1996, Nemecek co-wrote The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, published by Titan Books in the UK from material he, Ian Spelling, and Lou Anders wrote for Titan's magazine specials on the film; Anders took the lead as overall editor. Nemecek also authored the original 1998 museum artifact placards and the 2002 timeline update in the museum area of Star Trek: The Experience, and was a consultant there as well as on such projects as the Star Trek: Federation Science European tour and the Star Trek World Tour guidebooks and image references.
From until , after publication of Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Nemecek served as managing editor of Star Trek: Communicator, overseeing the planning, writers, content and look of the licensed magazine of the Official Star Trek Fan Club. He has been a regular columnist in Star Trek Magazine since 1998, and contributed dozens of articles to Star Trek Fact Files, for which he worked all six years as Los Angeles photo editor and consultant. The topics researched and obscure references and sources tracked fueled the work of the UK-based Fact Files, later seen in the US in and most recently the Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection magazine.
He was also the sole Star Trek-affiliated contributor to Star Trek: Best Episode Collection, a Fact Files (edited)/DVD partwork project for Japan. Nemecek followed up on this project with his participation on the ill-fated 2011 Japanese The Official Star Trek The Next Generation: Build the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D project, contributing either previously unpublished archived or newly conducted cast and crew interviews for the partwork's magazine element, (source) until it was all cancelled in the wake of Japan's economic downturn following the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, including the Fukushima nuclear accident. This project finally resurfaced in 2019, but without his involvement. 
For many years, Nemecek was a contributor and producer on the official Star Trek website. In , he was its first-ever chat guest, its first managing editor (one day a week), and from 1996-99 wrote much of its early database as a consultant, with another update in 2012. In December 2007, however, on his latter-day stint with the site, he and the entire StarTrek.com production team were laid off by CBS Interactive, the result of restructuring at the company soon after the CBS spin-off from the old Viacom corporation. 
Since 1986, Nemecek has conducted over five hundred archival interviews of Star Trek writers, designers, crew, and actors, most of them multiple or annual updates over the years and unpublished. Segments are now being produced under his own brand as Trekland: On Speaker. He has appeared as a documentary guest on titles such as Trek Nation, The Captains of The Final Frontier, The Green Girl, The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek, and numerous installments of the Next Generation and Enterprise Blu-ray collection documentaries.
In 2022, he was inducted into the by the . He currently serves as a founding Advisory Board member for the Nichelle Nichols Foundation.
== Other contributions to Star Trek ==
Nemecek is currently producing and directing The Con of Wrath, a documentary based on the infamous 1982 "Ultimate Fantasy" convention and arena show in Houston, Texas. Along with "survivor" fans, dealers, and organizers, it will also feature George Takei, Nichelle Nichols, Walter Koenig, Laura Banks, James Doohan's widow Wende, publisher Kerry O'Quinn, and producer Harve Bennett in his last filmed interview.
In , the shuttle Nenebek, featured in the The Next Generation episode , was named in his honor by Jeri Taylor. She had not yet met him but, like other writing staffers, had his then-unmatched self-published concordances on her desk. She did not think to tell him the story until 1998.
As an actor, Nemecek, in 2013, portrayed Dr. McCoy in the first two episodes of award-winning independent web series . He also appeared in two episodes of the fan film , in and , and in the "lost" 2005/2011 vignette No-Win Scenario as a Tellarite, Grolst.
In , Nemecek was interviewed for the bonus features (Star Trek Moments and Memories) on the seventh season DVD for Star Trek: The Next Generation. He spoke again in interviews for the new 20th anniversary DVD set for TNG in 2007, and served as Special Consultant on the overall project. Aside from being a frequent interviewee, Nemecek also hosted a discussion panel in all four 2009 Next Generation Blu-ray/DVD film "Trek Roundtable" special features, in which he led a roundtable discussing each film with Anthony Pascale, Charlene Anderson, and Jeff Bond.
In 2005, Nemecek appeared as a civilian with other cameo guests and crew in , the last episode of . His costume was a reuse of Avery Brooks' suit from . Nemecek recounted his experience filming the episode in his "Endgame" column in . For Enterprise, Nemecek again appeared in the "Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise" special feature on the 2014 ENT Season 4 Blu-ray release, trying to put the troubled production history of that series into perspective.
== Star Trek bibliography ==
* : TNG-1: A Concordance and Episode Guide – Author
* :
** TNG-1: A Concordance and Episode Guide (updated) – Author
** TNG-2: A Concordance and Episode Guide – Author
* : TNG-3: A Concordance and Episode Guide – Author
* :
** TNG-4: A Concordance and Episode Guide – Author
* :
** TNG-5: A Concordance – Author
** – Author
* : 
** DS9-1: A Concordance and Episode Guide – Author
** – Writer (story; with J. Kelley Burke)
* : (updated, 2nd ed.) – Author
* :
** DS9-2: A Concordance and Episode Guide – Author
** The Making of Star Trek: First Contact – Author (with Lou Anders and Ian Spelling)
** Star Trek Magazine – Contributor (columnist, interviewer/feature writer)
* : Star Trek Fact Files – Contributor (author, photo editor and researcher)
* : – Managing editor, contributor
* :
** – Contributor (author, photo editor, researcher and interviews)
** (CD version) – Author
* : Star Trek: Star Charts – Contributor (Chapter introductions, research)
* : (updated, 3rd ed.) – Author
* : Star Trek: The Collector's Edition – Contributor (episode notes)
* : The Official Star Trek The Next Generation: Build the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D – Contributor (interviews)
* : Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library – Author
* : Stellar Cartography: The Starfleet Reference Library (updated) – Author
== Star Trek filmography ==
* : "Starfleet Moments & Memories Year Seven" ("A Unique Family"), TNG Season 7 DVD special feature – interviewed on 
* : After They Were Famous: Star Trek – Consultant
* : Star Trek: New Voyages: "Come What May" – portrayed Cal Strickland
* : – cameo as a ceremony attendee
* : Star Trek: New Voyages: "To Serve All My Days" – portrayed Esterion captain
* : "Trek Roundtable: First Contact" (Star Trek: First Contact (2009 DVD) special feature) – Host
* : Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ( special feature) – Audio commentary
* : The Captains of The Final Frontier – Consultant, Guest
* : Star Trek: New Voyages: "No-Win Scenario" (Vignette Episode) – portrayed Tellarite Grolst [Note: This episode was originally filmed in 2005, but was not released until 2011.]
* : : "Star Trek" – Star Trek Guest Consultant
* : Trek Nation – Guest
* : : "Pilgrim of Eternity"; "Lolani" – portrayed Leonard McCoy 
* : The Green Girl – Guest
* 2014: "Before Her Time: Decommissioning Enterprise" (ENT Season 4 Blu-ray special feature) – Interviewee
* 2022: The Center Seat: 55 Years of Star Trek – Narrative guest (8 parts)
== External links ==
* – official site
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* – former official blog
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* (with Geoffrey Mandel)
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