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Gene Roddenberry

 
Gene Roddenberry

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Gene Roddenberry



 
 
Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 screenwriter
Screenwriter

Screenwriters or scenarists are scriptwriters who write the screenplays from which films and television programs are made.Most screenwriters start their careers writing on speculation....
 and producer
Television producer

The primary role of a television producer is to control all aspects of production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking....
. He is arguably best known as the creator of Star Trek
Star Trek

Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
, an American sci-fi series known for its immense influence on popular culture.

Roddenberry was sometimes referred to as the "Great Bird of the Galaxy" in reference to his founding role in Star Trek. He was one of the first people to have his ashes "buried" in space
Space burial

Space burial is a burial procedure in which a small sample of the cremation ashes of the deceased are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of lipstick and are launched into space using a rocket....
.

Personal life
Gene Roddenberry was born in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas

El Paso is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, Texas, United States, and part of the . According to the United States Census Bureau 2006 population estimates, the city had a population of 606,913....
, to Eugene Edward Roddenberry and Caroline Glen.






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Encyclopedia


Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
 screenwriter
Screenwriter

Screenwriters or scenarists are scriptwriters who write the screenplays from which films and television programs are made.Most screenwriters start their careers writing on speculation....
 and producer
Television producer

The primary role of a television producer is to control all aspects of production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking....
. He is arguably best known as the creator of Star Trek
Star Trek

Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
, an American sci-fi series known for its immense influence on popular culture.

Roddenberry was sometimes referred to as the "Great Bird of the Galaxy" in reference to his founding role in Star Trek. He was one of the first people to have his ashes "buried" in space
Space burial

Space burial is a burial procedure in which a small sample of the cremation ashes of the deceased are placed in a capsule the size of a tube of lipstick and are launched into space using a rocket....
.

Personal life


Gene Roddenberry was born in El Paso, Texas
El Paso, Texas

El Paso is a city in and the county seat of El Paso County, Texas, Texas, United States, and part of the . According to the United States Census Bureau 2006 population estimates, the city had a population of 606,913....
, to Eugene Edward Roddenberry and Caroline Glen. He grew up in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California

Los Angeles is the largest city in the U.S. state of California and the List of United States cities by population in the United States. Often abbreviated as L.A. and nicknamed The City of Angels, Los Angeles is rated as a beta global city, has an estimated population of 3.8 million and spans over in Southern California....
, where his father worked in the Los Angeles Police Department
Los Angeles Police Department

The Los Angeles Police Department is the law enforcement agency of the city of Los Angeles, California, California. With nearly 9,900 officers and more than 3,000 female staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 3.8 million people, it is the fifth largest law enforcement agency in the United States ....
. He attended Berendo Junior High School (now Berendo Middle School). After graduating from Franklin High School, Roddenberry took classes in Police Studies at Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles City College

Los Angeles City College, known as LACC, is a public community college in the Hollywood, Los Angeles, California section of Los Angeles, California....
 where he also became the head of the Police Club, acting as a liaison for the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation

The Federal Bureau of Investigation is the primary unit in the United States United States Department of Justice, serving as both a Law enforcement agency body and a domestic intelligence agency....
). Roddenberry furthered his studies at Columbia University
Columbia University

Columbia University in the City of New York , is a private university in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. Columbia's main campus lies in the Morningside Heights, Manhattan neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, in New York City....
, the University of Miami
University of Miami

The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 in the city of Coral Gables, Florida, Florida, United States, a historic suburb of Miami, Florida....
, and the University of Southern California
University of Southern California

The University of Southern California is a private university, nonsectarian, research university located in the University Park, Los Angeles, California neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, California, United States....
.

Roddenberry developed an interest in aeronautical engineering and soon obtained a pilot's license
Pilot licensing and certification

Pilot License are issued by Civil Aviation Authority, and establish that the holder has been trained by a qualified flight instructor and has met a specific set of knowledge and experience requirements, sometimes determined by taking a checkride....
. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941,and flew many combat B-17 Flying Fortress
B-17 Flying Fortress

The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engine heavy bomber aircraft developed for the United States Army Air Corps . Competing against Douglas Aircraft Company and Glenn L....
 missions in the Pacific Theatre
Pacific Theatre

Theatre may refer to:* Pacific War, the part of World War II fought in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and East Asia between 1937 and 1945* Pacific Theater of Operations, a United States Navy command during the Pacific War...
 with the 394th Bomb Squadron (H) 5th Bomb Group who called themselves the "Bomber Barons." He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal
Air Medal

The Air Medal is a Awards and decorations of the United States military of the United States which was established by Executive Order 9158, signed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, on May 11, 1942....
  for his service.

After World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 


After leaving military service, Roddenberry became a commercial pilot for Pan American World Airways
Pan American World Airways

Pan American World Airways, commonly known as Pan Am, was the principal international airline of the United States from the 1930s until its collapse on December 4, 1991....
. He received a Civil Aeronautics commendation for his rescue efforts following a June 1947 crash in the Syrian desert while on a flight to Istanbul
Istanbul

Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, List of metropolitan areas in Europe by population, and List of cities proper by population in the world with a population of 12.6 million....
 from Karachi
Karachi

is the largest city, seaport and the International financial centre of Pakistan. It is List of metropolitan areas by population in terms of metropolitan population, and is Pakistan's premier centre of banking, industry, and trade....
.

He eventually left Pan Am to pursue television writing in Hollywood. In order to provide for his family, he joined the Los Angeles Police Department on February 1, 1949, and was assigned LAPD badge number 6089. During his seven-year service with the LAPD, Roddenberry was promoted to police sergeant.

On June 7, 1956, he resigned from the police force to concentrate on his writing career full time. In his brief letter of resignation, Roddenberry wrote:

"I find myself unable to support my family at present on anticipated police salary levels in a manner we consider necessary. Having spent slightly more than seven years on this job, during all of which fair treatment and enjoyable working conditions were received, this decision is made with considerable and genuine regret."


Family


Roddenberry was married twice and had three children. His first marriage was to Eileen Rexroat, which lasted 27 years. They had two daughters, Darlene (1947-1995) and Dawn (1953-). During the 1960s, he was involved in extra-marital affairs with Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols is an United Statesn actor, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting....
 and Majel Barrett
Majel Barrett

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was an United States Actor and Executive producer. She was also the wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry....
 (1932-2008). He divorced Rexroat and married Barrett in Japan in a traditional Shinto
Shinto

is the former state religion of Japan and remains the most common name for the nation's non-Buddhist ethnic religion practices. It was formed from disparate local mythologies, beginning with the Kojiki of 712, into an imperial cult called State Shinto that solidified in the Meiji period....
 ceremony on August 6, 1969. They had one child together—his only son, Eugene Wesley, Jr.
Rod Roddenberry

Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry Jr. is an United States television producer and the only son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and actress Majel Barrett....
 Roddenberry's marriage to Barrett lasted until his death in 1991.

Beliefs


Although Roddenberry was raised as a Southern Baptist, he did not embrace the faith; he viewed religion as the cause of many wars and suffering in human history. Roddenberry considered himself a humanist
Humanism

Humanism is a broad category of ethics that affirm the dignity and worth of all people, based on the ability to determine right and wrong by appealing to universal human qualities, particularly rationalism, without resorting to the supernatural or alleged divine authority from religious texts....
 and an agnostic.

Death and funeral


Roddenberry died on October 24, 1991, of heart failure at the age of 70. In 1992, the lipstick-sized capsule carrying Roddenberry's ashes was placed on board the Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia

Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy space shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. Its first mission, STS-1, lasted from April 12 to April 14, 1981....
 on a STS-52
STS-52

STS-52 was a Space Transportation System mission, launched 22 October 1992....
 mission. In 1997, the capsule was sent into orbit; it eventually disintegrated in the atmosphere. In 2012, a spacecraft is planned to launch more of Roddenberry's ashes into deep space along with his late wife Majel's ashes..

Television and film career

While Roddenberry was in the LAPD, he wrote scripts, using the pen name Robert Wesley, for television series such as Highway Patrol
Highway Patrol (TV series)

Highway Patrol is a Television syndication Action Police procedural that aired from 1955-1959. The series was syndicated by Ziv Television Programs....
 and Have Gun, Will Travel. (One of the first-season episodes of the latter program, "Helen of Abajinian," won a Writers Guild of America Award
Writers Guild of America Award

The Writers Guild of America Award for outstanding achievements in film, television, and radio has been presented annually by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America, West since 1949....
.)

Norway Corporation


Roddenberry's dissatisfaction with his work as a freelance writer for Have Gun, Will Travel and the difficulties he faced in adding anything substantial to his stories led him to produce his own television program. His first attempt, APO 923
APO 923

APO 923 was a proposed one-hour adventure television series, created by Gene Roddenberry. It was not picked up by the network, and only the pilot episode, "Operation Shangri-La", written by Roddenberry, was filmed....
,
was not picked up by the networks. In 1963, he formed a company called Norway Corporation
Norway Corporation

Norway Corporation is the motion picture and television production company established by Gene Roddenberry in 1963. At first operating out of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television in conjunction with the NBC-TV, Norway Corporation is best known in modern times for having been the production company that brought Star Trek to television on the Nat...
, through which he produced The Lieutenant
The Lieutenant

The Lieutenant is an American television program that appeared on NBC for the 1963-1964 television schedule. It was the first television series program ever created by Gene Roddenberry and/or produced under the banner of Norway Corporation, which was launched as a "satellite" company of Arena Productions, one of MGM's most successful in-h...
,
a 1963-1964 NBC and MGM Television series about the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps

The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing Military power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to rapidly deliver Marine Air-Ground Task Force....
 that starred Gary Lockwood
Gary Lockwood

Gary Lockwood is an United States actor perhaps best known for his iconic 1968 role as the astronaut Frank Poole in 2001: A Space Odyssey ....
 as Lieutenant William Rice. NBC refused to broadcast a series that dealt with racism in the military. Its first episode featured Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols is an United Statesn actor, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting....
, who later became Lt. Uhura in the original Star Trek
Star Trek

Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
 series.

Star Trek


Roddenberry developed his idea for Star Trek
Star Trek

Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
 in 1964 when he thought of combining Buck Rogers
Buck Rogers

Anthony "Buck" Rogers is a fictional character who first appeared in 1928 as Anthony Rogers, the hero of two novellas by Philip Francis Nowlan published in the magazine Amazing Stories....
 and Flash Gordon
Flash Gordon

Steven "Flash" Gordon is the hero of a science fiction adventure comic strip originally drawn by Alex Raymond, which was first published on January 7, 1934....
. Star Trek
Star Trek

Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
 was picked up by Desilu Studios when Roddenberry sold the premise as a "Wagon Train
Wagon train

A wagon train is a group of wagons traveling together. In the American Old West, individuals traveling across the plains in covered wagons banded together for mutual assistance....
 to the Stars." The original $500,000 pilot
Television pilot

A television pilot is a test episode of an intended television series. It is an early step in the development of a television series, much like pilot lights or pilot serve as precursors to the start of larger activity, or pilot holes prepare the way for larger holes....
 received only minor support from NBC and its production went over budget, but the network commissioned an unprecedented second pilot. The series, a Norway Corporation production, premiered on September 8, 1966, and ran for three seasons. Although it was canceled due to low ratings
Nielsen Ratings

Nielsen Ratings are audience measurement developed by the AC Nielsen Company, to determine the audience size and composition of broadcast programming....
, the series gained wide popularity in syndication
Television syndication

In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows to multiple individual stations, without going through a broadcast network....
. In the third and final season of Star Trek
Star Trek

Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
, Roddenberry offered to demote himself to the position of line producer
Line producer

A line producer is a key member of the production team for a motion picture. Typically, a line producer manages the budget of a motion picture. Alternatively, or in addition, they may manage the day to day physical aspects of the film production, serving a role similar to the unit production manager....
 in a final attempt to rescue the show by giving it a desired time slot. He resigned when this was not approved and accepted a staff producer position with MGM.

After Star Trek


His first project with the studio, Pretty Maids All in a Row
Pretty Maids All in a Row

Pretty Maids All in a Row is an American comedy film released in 1971, directed and produced by Roger Vadim, and written by Gene Roddenberry based on the novel by Francis Pollini....
,
was a sexploitation
Sexploitation

Sexploitation or "sex-exploitation" describe a class of independently produced, low budget feature films generally associated with the 1960s and serving largely as a vehicle for the exhibition of non-explicit sexual situations and/or gratuitous nudity....
 film adapted from the novel written by Francis Pollini and directed by Roger Vadim
Roger Vadim

Roger Vadim, born Roger Vladimir Plemiannikov was a French journalist, author, actor, screenwriter, film director, and film producer who launched Brigitte Bardot's career in the film And God Created Woman ....
. The cast included Rock Hudson
Rock Hudson

Rock Hudson was an United States film and television actor, recognised as a romantic leading man during the 1960s and 1970s. Hudson was voted 'Star of the Year', 'Favorite Leading Man', and similar titles by numerous movie magazines and was unquestionably one of the most popular and well-known movie stars of the time....
, Angie Dickinson
Angie Dickinson

Angie Dickinson is a Golden Globe-winning United States television and film actor, perhaps best known for her role as Sergeant Leann "Pepper" Anderson in the successful 1970s crime drama Police Woman ....
, Telly Savalas
Telly Savalas

Aristotelis ?Telly? Savalas was an American film and television actor and singer, whose career spanned four decades. Best known for playing the title role in the popular 1970s crime drama Kojak, Savalas was nominated for an Academy Awards for his supporting role in Birdman of Alcatraz ....
, and Roddy McDowall
Roddy McDowall

Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude "Roddy" McDowall was an English-born actor and photographer....
 alongside Star Trek regulars James Doohan
James Doohan

James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character actor and voice actor actor best known for his role as Montgomery Scott in the television and film series Star Trek....
 and William J. Campbell
William Campbell (film actor)

William Campbell is an United States actor. He has appeared in supporting actor roles in major film productions, but also starred in several low-budget B-movies, including two cult horror fiction films....
. It also featured Gretchen Burrell, the wife of country-rock pioneer Gram Parsons
Gram Parsons

Gram Parsons was an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and pianist. Parsons was a member of the International Submarine Band, The Byrds and The Flying Burrito Brothers....
; a pictorial of her was published in an issue of Playboy
Playboy

Playboy is an American men's magazine, founded in Chicago, Illinois, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, which has grown into Playboy Enterprises, with a presence in nearly every medium....
 Magazine
at this approximate time. Despite Roddenberry's expectations, the film was not a success. His relationship with MGM studio was strained by this, although he did continue there until 1972.

Through the Norway Corporation, Roddenberry pitched pilots for four sci-fi TV series concepts, although none were developed as series: The Questor Tapes
The Questor Tapes

The Questor Tapes is a 1974 television movie about an android with incomplete memory tapes who is searching for his creator and his purpose....
,
Genesis II, Planet Earth
Planet Earth (TV pilot)

Planet Earth was a science fiction TV movie that was created by Gene Roddenberry, written by Roddenberry and Juanita Bartlett . It first aired on April 23, 1974 on American Broadcasting Company, and starred John Saxon as Dylan Hunt....
,
and Strange New World
Strange New World

Strange New World was a television pilot based on concepts envisioned by Gene Roddenberry which first aired on March 23, 1975. It starred John Saxon as Captain Anthony Vico , Kathleen Miller as Dr....
.
He also co-wrote and was executive producer on the made-for-television movie, Spectre (1977), which was designed as a backdoor pilot.

Roddenberry feared that he would be unable to provide for his family, as he was unable to find work in the television and film industry and was facing the possible bankruptcy
Bankruptcy

Bankruptcy is a legally declared inability or impairment of ability of an individual or organization to pay its creditors. Creditors may file a bankruptcy petition against a debtor in an effort to recoup a portion of what they are owed or initiate a restructuring....
 of Norway Corporation. He then heeded the advice of his friend and British sci-fi writer Arthur Charles Clarke and looked for steady employment on the college lecture circuit where contemporaries in similar predicaments (namely William Shatner
William Shatner

William Alan Shatner is a Canadian double Emmy-, Golden Globe- and Saturn Award-winning actor and novelist. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T....
 and Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary

Timothy Francis Leary was an American writer, psychologist, futurist, and advocate of psychedelic drug research and one of the first people whose remains have been sent into space....
) had both found success.

He amused the attendees of his lectures with anecdotes from the Star Trek set and spoke of his visions for the future. He showed the Star Trek Blooper Reels, a collection of outtakes from the original series. These blooper reels drew criticism and ire from Leonard Nimoy
Leonard Nimoy

Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. He is best known for playing the character of Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series, an American television series that ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1969, in addition to reprising the role in several movie sequels....
, who felt Roddenberry was exploiting them for money. Nimoy eventually sued Roddenberry and Paramount.

The matter would not be resolved until production began for Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 in film science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first motion picture based on the Star Trek: The Original Series television series....
.
Roddenberry also exhibited a black and white print of the unaired first series pilot, "The Cage
The Cage

The Cage may refer to:* The Cage by Tygers of Pan Tang* The Cage by Jerome Robbins,1951* The Cage , on his eponymous second album* The Cage , on the album Winterheart's Guild...
," at several conventions.

New Star Trek projects


Beginning in 1975, the go-ahead was given by Paramount for Roddenberry to develop a new Star Trek television series, with as many of the original cast to be included. It was originally called Phase II
Star Trek: Phase II

Star Trek: Phase II was a planned television series based on the characters of Gene Roddenberry's Star Trek. It was set to air in early 1978 on a proposed Paramount Television Service ....
.
This series would be the anchor show of a new network (the ancestor of UPN
UPN

United Paramount Network was a television network that broadcast in over 200 markets in the United States and that was in production for over eleven years....
, which later became part of The CW Television Network
The CW Television Network

The CW Television Network is a television network in the United States launched at the beginning of the 2006-07 United States network television schedule....
), but plans by Paramount for this network were scrapped and the project was reworked into a feature film. The result, Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 in film science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first motion picture based on the Star Trek: The Original Series television series....
,
received a lukewarm critical response, but it performed well at the box office and saved Norway Corporation. As a result, several motion pictures and a new television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, about 70 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, the program features a new crew and a new Starship Enterprise....
,
were created in the 1980s.

When it came time to produce the obligatory theatrical sequel, Roddenberry's story submission of a time-traveling Enterprise crew involved in the John F. Kennedy assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination

The assassination of John F. Kennedy, the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States of the United States, took place on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dallas, Texas, Texas, at 12:30 p.m....
 was rejected. He was removed from direct involvement--effectively hobbling the power of Norway Corporation--and replaced by Harve Bennett
Harve Bennett

Harve Bennett is an United States television producer and film producer and screenwriter. He is best known for producing and writing or co-writing the second through fifth films in the Star Trek film series....
. He continued, however, as executive consultant for the next four films: Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan is a 1982 motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the second feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise....
,
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock is a 1984 in film motion picture released by Paramount Pictures. The film is the third feature based on the Star Trek science fiction franchise....
,
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home is the fourth feature film based on the Star Trek science fiction television series. It completes the loose story trilogy started in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan and continued in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock....
,
and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier

Star Trek V: The Final Frontier is the fifth feature film based on the Star Trek: The Original Series science fiction television series....
.
As consultant, Roddenberry was allowed to view and comment on all scripts and dailies emanating from the production, but the creative team
List of Star Trek production staff

This is a list of people who were producers, directors, designers and other production staff on the Star Trek television series and films.The Series column uses the following abbreviations:...
 was free to disregard Roddenberry's advice.

Roddenberry was deeply involved with creating and producing Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction television program created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, about 70 years after Star Trek: The Original Series, the program features a new crew and a new Starship Enterprise....
,
although he only had full control over the show's first season. The WGA strike of 1988
1988 Writers Guild of America strike

The 1988 Writers Guild of America strike was a strike action taken by members of both the Writers Guild of America, East and the Writers Guild of America, West ....
 prevented him from taking an active role in production of the second season, and forced him to hand control of the series to producer Maurice Hurley. While Roddenberry was free to resume work on the third season, his health was in serious decline, and over the course of the season, he gradually ceded control to Rick Berman
Rick Berman

Richard Keith "Rick" Berman is an United States television producer. He is most famous for his work as the executive producer of the Star Trek series from Star Trek: The Next Generation onwards and essentially succeeded Gene Roddenberry as the head of the franchise, until the cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005....
 and Michael Piller
Michael Piller

Michael Piller was an American television screenwriter and television producer, who was most famous for his contributions to the Star Trek franchise....
. Star Trek
Star Trek

Star Trek is an American Science fiction on television entertainment series and media franchise. The Star Trek fictional universe created by Gene Roddenberry is the setting of six television series including the original 1966 Star Trek: The Original Series, in addition to ten feature films with Star Trek to be released on May 8,...
 also spawned the television series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is a science fiction television program that premiered in 1993 and ran for seven seasons, ending in 1999. Rooted in Gene Roddenberry?s Star Trek universe, it was created by Rick Berman and Michael Piller, at the request of Brandon Tartikoff, and produced by CBS Paramount Television....
,
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager

Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. The show was created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor and is the fourth incarnation of Star Trek, which began with the 1960s series Star Trek: The Original Series, created by Gene Roddenberry....
,
and Star Trek: Enterprise
Star Trek: Enterprise

Enterprise, retitled Star Trek: Enterprise at the start of its third season, was a science fiction television program created by Brannon Braga and Rick Berman and set in the Star Trek universe created by Gene Roddenberry....
.


Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country is the sixth feature film in the Star Trek science fiction franchise. It was released in 1991 in film by Paramount Pictures, and is the last of the Star Trek films to include the entire core cast of the 1960s Star Trek: The Original Series....
,
the last film with the cast from the original Star Trek series, was dedicated to Roddenberry; he reportedly viewed an early version of the film a few days before his death.

In addition to his film and TV work, Roddenberry also wrote the novelization of Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 in film science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first motion picture based on the Star Trek: The Original Series television series....
.
It was published in 1979 and was the first of hundreds of Star Trek-based novels to be published by the Pocket Books
Pocket Books

Pocket Books is a division of Simon & Schuster that primarily publishes paperback books.Pocket produced the first mass-market, pocket-sized paperback books in America in early 1939 and revolutionized the publishing industry....
 unit of Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster

Simon & Schuster, Inc., a division of CBS Corporation, is a publisher founded in New York City in 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster....
, whose parent company also owned Paramount Pictures Corporation. Because Alan Dean Foster
Alan Dean Foster

Alan Dean Foster is a prolific United States author of fantasy and science fiction. He currently resides in Prescott, Arizona, with his wife, and is also known for his novelisations of film scripts....
 wrote the original treatment of the Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Star Trek: The Motion Picture

Star Trek: The Motion Picture is a 1979 in film science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures. It is the first motion picture based on the Star Trek: The Original Series television series....
 film, there was a rumor that Foster was the ghostwriter
Ghostwriter

A ghostwriter is a professional writer who is paid to write books, articles, stories, reports, or other content which are officially credited to another person....
 of the novel. This has been debunked by Foster on his personal website. (Foster, however, ghostwrote the novelization of George Lucas's
George Lucas

George Walton Lucas, Jr. is an Academy Award-nominated United States film director, film producer, screenwriter and chairman of Lucasfilm Ltd. He is best known for being the creator of the Epic film Sci-Fi franchise Star Wars and the archaeologist-adventurer character Indiana Jones....
 Star Wars
Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope

Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is an Cinema of the United States 1977 in film space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It was the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: Star Wars#Original trilogy continue the story, while a Star Wars#Prequel trilogy contributes backstory, primarily for the troubled charac...
.
) Roddenberry talked of writing a second Trek novel based on his rejected 1975 script of the JFK assassination plot, but he died before he was able to do so.

Controversy concerning Roddenberry


Writers who worked for Star Trek have charged that ideas they developed were later passed off by Roddenberry as his own, or that he lied about their contributions and involvement to the show. Roddenberry was confronted by these writers, and he apologized to them; but according to his critics, he would continue the behavior.

Roddenberry is occasionally criticized for his treatment of movie and script royalties related to Star Trek: He alienated composer Alexander Courage
Alexander Courage

Alexander Mair Courage Jr. was an United States orchestration, arranger, and composer of music, primarily for television and motion pictures....
 by demanding 50 percent of the royalties which Courage received for the show's theme song whenever an episode of Star Trek was aired. Later, while cooperating with Stephen Whitfield for the latter's book The Making of Star Trek, Roddenberry demanded--and received--Whitfield's acquiescence for 50 percent of the book's royalties. As Roddenberry explained to Whitfield in 1968: "I had to get some money somewhere. I'm sure not going to get it from the profits of Star Trek."

Herbert Solow and Robert H. Justman
Robert H. Justman

Robert Harris "Bob" Justman was an United States television producer, Television director and production manager. He worked on many television series including Lassie , The Life of Riley, Adventures of Superman , The Outer Limits, Then Came Bronson and Mission: Impossible....
 observe that Whitfield never regretted his fifty-fifty deal with Roddenberry since it gave him "the opportunity to become the first chronicler of television's successful unsuccessful series."

In her autobiography
Autobiography

An autobiography is a biography written by its subject . The term was first used by the poet Robert Southey in 1809 in the English language Periodical publication Quarterly Review, but the form goes back to antiquity....
 Beyond Uhura, actress Nichelle Nichols
Nichelle Nichols

Nichelle Nichols is an United Statesn actor, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting....
, who played Uhura
Uhura

Uhura, played by Nichelle Nichols, is a character in Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Animated Series, and the first six Star Trek films....
 in the first Star Trek series, reported having had a love affair with Roddenberry. She felt that his strong and controversial effort to get her on the show had a lot to do with their relationship.

Roddenberry's life and work has been chronicled in several works. Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry, written by friend David Alexander
David Alexander

David Alexander may refer to:*David Alexander American fiction and nonfiction writer*David M. Alexander , American science fiction and mystery writer...
, is a flattering portrayal of Roddenberry's life that was received favorably by most readers, obscuring many of the troubles Roddenberry encountered in his later years. Much more controversial was Inside Trek: My Secret Life with Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry, written by Susan Sackett
Susan Sackett

Susan Sackett, an American author and screenwriter, best known for her involvement in the Star Trek franchise....
, his close associate for 17 years. While she displays unwavering affection, respect and admiration for her employer, Sackett's account hardly makes him out to be a saint. Recounted in brutal detail are his elongated dry spells throughout the 1970s, his addiction to cocaine
Cocaine

Cocaine is a crystalline tropane alkaloid that is obtained from the leaves of the coca plant. The name comes from "coca" in addition to the alkaloid suffix -ine, forming cocaine....
, impotence, inability to finish creative projects and mental and physical decline from roughly 1989 onward.

Despite his reduced management of Star Trek and the hobbled power of Norway Corporation
Norway Corporation

Norway Corporation is the motion picture and television production company established by Gene Roddenberry in 1963. At first operating out of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television in conjunction with the NBC-TV, Norway Corporation is best known in modern times for having been the production company that brought Star Trek to television on the Nat...
 near the end of his life, Roddenberry was respected enough that Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures

Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American motion picture production company and distribution company, located on Melrose Avenue in Hollywood, California....
, owners of the various Star Trek series, agreed to his request that Star Trek: The Animated Series
Star Trek: The Animated Series

Star Trek: The Animated Series is an Daytime Emmy Award winning animation science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe and a continuation of Star Trek: The Original Series....
 be stripped of its official recognition as canon
Canon (fiction)

Canon, in terms of a fictional universe, is any material that is considered to be "genuine," or can be directly referenced as material produced by the original author or creator of a series....
 by the studio. (In 2007, Star Trek's official site included the animated series to its library section.) According to the reference book, The Star Trek Chronology, Roddenberry also considered elements of the fifth and sixth Trek films to be apocryphal
Apocrypha (fiction)

In the context of fiction Apocrypha includes those fictional stories that do not belong within a fictional universe's canon , yet still have some authority relating to that fictional universe....
, though there was no indication that he wanted them removed from Trek canon.

Legacy


Gene Roddenberry   Star for Tv
After his death in 1991 in Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica, California

Santa Monica is a city in western Los Angeles County, California, California, United States. Situated on Santa Monica Bay of the Pacific Ocean, it is completely surrounded by the City of Los Angeles ? Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California on the north, West Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California on the northeast...
, Roddenberry's estate allowed for the creation of two long-running television series based on his previously unfilmed story ideas and concepts. Earth: Final Conflict
Earth: Final Conflict

Earth: Final Conflict is a Canada science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett....
 and Andromeda
Andromeda (TV series)

Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda was a Canada/United States science fiction television series, based on unused material by the late Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, developed by Robert Hewitt Wolfe, and produced by Roddenberry's widow, Majel Roddenberry....
 were produced under the guidance of Majel Barrett-Roddenberry
Majel Barrett

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was an United States Actor and Executive producer. She was also the wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry....
. A third Roddenberry storyline was adapted in 1995 as the short-lived comic book
Comic book

A comic book is a magazine or book of narrative artwork and dialog and descriptive prose. The style was introduced in 1934. Despite the term, comic books do not necessarily feature humorous subject-matter; in fact, it is often serious and action-oriented....
 Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe (later titled Gene Roddenberry's Xander in Lost Universe). Other projects were developed under the Roddenberry name but never made it to production stage, such as Gene Roddenberry's Starship, a computer-animated series proposed by Majel Barrett and John Semper
John Semper

John Semper, Jr. is a screenwriter, producer and story editor with numerous credits in animation for television. He has worked for such diverse companies as Walt Disney Pictures, Warner Bros....
 for Mainframe Entertainment.

The asteroid 4659 Roddenberry
4659 Roddenberry

4659 Roddenberry is an asteroid named after Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek. It was discovered on March 2, 1981 at Siding Spring Observatory near Coonabarabran, New South Wales, Australia by Schelte J....
 and an impact crater
Impact crater

In the broadest sense, the term impact crater can be applied to any depression, natural or manmade, resulting from the high velocity impact of a projectile with larger body....
 on Mars
MARS

In cryptography, MARS is a block cipher that was IBM's submission to the Advanced Encryption Standard process. MARS was selected as an AES finalist in August 1999, after the AES2 conference in March 1999, where it was voted as the fifth and last finalist algorithm....
 are named in his honor.

On October 4, 2002, the El Paso Independent School District Planetarium was renamed the Gene Roddenberry Planetarium. Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr.
Rod Roddenberry

Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry Jr. is an United States television producer and the only son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and actress Majel Barrett....
 cut the ribbon at the dedication ceremony.

One of the buildings on the Paramount studio lot on Melrose Boulevard is the Gene Roddenberry building that houses production and administrative offices.

On June 16, 2007, the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle, Washington
Seattle, Washington

Seattle is the most populous city in the US state of Washington and the Northwestern United States. The encompassing Seattle metropolitan area is the 15th largest in the United States, and the largest in the Pacific Northwest....
 inducted Gene Roddenberry into their Science Fiction Hall of Fame, along with director Ridley Scott
Ridley Scott

Sir Ridley Scott is a United Kingdom Academy Award nominated and Golden Globe Award, Emmy Award and British Academy of Film and Television Arts winning film director and film producer known for his stylish visuals and an obsession for detail....
, artist Ed Emshwiller
Ed Emshwiller

Ed Emshwiller was a visual artist notable for illustrations of many science fiction magazine covers and for his pioneering experimental films....
, and author Gene Wolfe
Gene Wolfe

Gene Wolfe is an United States science fiction and fantasy writer. He is noted for his dense, allusive prose as well as the strong influence of his Catholic faith, to which he converted after marrying a Catholic....
. The presentation was made by actor Wil Wheaton
Wil Wheaton

Richard William "Wil" Wheaton III is an United States writer and actor. As the latter, he is best known for his portrayals of Wesley Crusher on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, as Gordie LaChance in the film Stand by Me , and as prep-school rebel Joseph 'Joey' Trotta in Toy Soldiers ....
 and the dedication was accepted on behalf of the Roddenberry Family by his son, Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr
Rod Roddenberry

Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry Jr. is an United States television producer and the only son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and actress Majel Barrett....
.

Relationships with others


Patrick Stewart
Patrick Stewart

Patrick Hewes Stewart, Order of the British Empire is an English film, television and Stage actor. He is also Chancellor of the University of Huddersfield....
 once said in an interview on Michael Parkinson
Michael Parkinson

Sir Michael Parkinson, Order of the British Empire is an English people broadcaster and journalist. He presented his interview programme, Parkinson , from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007....
's TV program
Parkinson (TV series)

Parkinson was a United Kingdom television chat show presented by Sir Michael Parkinson. It was first shown on BBC One from 1971 to 1982, totalling 361 editions....
 that a reporter talked to Roddenberry about the choice of Stewart for the captain's role; the reporter said, "Look, it doesn't make sense. You got a bald actor playing this part. Surely, by the 24th century, they have found the cure for baldness." Roddenberry replied, "By the 24th century, no one will care."

Further reading


  • Alexander, David
    David Alexander

    David Alexander may refer to:*David Alexander American fiction and nonfiction writer*David M. Alexander , American science fiction and mystery writer...
    . Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry.
  • Engel, Joel. Gene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind Star Trek.
  • Fern, Yvonne. Gene Roddenberry: The Last Conversation.
  • Gross, Edward and Mark A. Altman. Great Birds of the Galaxy: Gene Roddenberry and the Creators of Star Trek.
  • Sackett, Susan
    Susan Sackett

    Susan Sackett, an American author and screenwriter, best known for her involvement in the Star Trek franchise....
    . Inside Trek: My Secret Life with Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry.
  • Van Hise, James. The Man Who Created Star Trek: Gene Roddenberry.


Cast autobiographies


  • Doohan, James
    James Doohan

    James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character actor and voice actor actor best known for his role as Montgomery Scott in the television and film series Star Trek....
     and transcribed by Peter David
    Peter David

    Peter Allen David is an United States writer, best known for his work in comic books and Star Trek novels. David often jokingly describes his occupation as "Writer of Stuff"....
    . Beam Me Up, Scotty: Star Trek's "Scotty" in his own words. ISBN 0-671-52056-3.
  • Koenig, Walter
    Walter Koenig

    Walter Marvin Koenig is an American actor, writer, teacher and television director, known for his role as Pavel Chekov in Star Trek: The Original Series....
    . Warped Factors: A Neurotic's Guide to the Universe. ISBN 0878339914.
  • Nichols, Nichelle
    Nichelle Nichols

    Nichelle Nichols is an United Statesn actor, singer and voice artist. She sang with Duke Ellington and Lionel Hampton before turning to acting....
    . Beyond Uhura: Star Trek and Other Memories. ISBN 1572970111. Published 1995.
  • Nimoy, Leonard
    Leonard Nimoy

    Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. He is best known for playing the character of Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series, an American television series that ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1969, in addition to reprising the role in several movie sequels....
    . I Am Not Spock. ISBN 9780890871171. Published 1977.
  • Nimoy, Leonard. I Am Spock. ISBN 9780786861828. Published 1995.
  • Shatner, William
    William Shatner

    William Alan Shatner is a Canadian double Emmy-, Golden Globe- and Saturn Award-winning actor and novelist. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T....
     and transcribed by Chris Kreski
    Chris Kreski

    Chris Kreski was an United States writer, biographer and screenwriter....
    . Star Trek Memories. HarperCollins. ISBN 0060177349; ISBN-13 978-0060177348. Published 1993.
  • Shatner, William
    William Shatner

    William Alan Shatner is a Canadian double Emmy-, Golden Globe- and Saturn Award-winning actor and novelist. He gained worldwide fame and became a cultural icon for his portrayal of James T....
     and transcribed by Chris Kreski
    Chris Kreski

    Chris Kreski was an United States writer, biographer and screenwriter....
    . Star Trek Movie Memories. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-017617-2. Published 1994.
  • Solow, Herbert F.
    Herbert F. Solow

    Herbert F. Solow worked in Cinema of the United States as a producer, director, studio executive, talent agent, and writer....
     and Robert H. Justman
    Robert H. Justman

    Robert Harris "Bob" Justman was an United States television producer, Television director and production manager. He worked on many television series including Lassie , The Life of Riley, Adventures of Superman , The Outer Limits, Then Came Bronson and Mission: Impossible....
    . Star Trek Memories. HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-017734-9. Published 1993.
  • Solow, Herbert F.
    Herbert F. Solow

    Herbert F. Solow worked in Cinema of the United States as a producer, director, studio executive, talent agent, and writer....
     and Robert H. Justman
    Robert H. Justman

    Robert Harris "Bob" Justman was an United States television producer, Television director and production manager. He worked on many television series including Lassie , The Life of Riley, Adventures of Superman , The Outer Limits, Then Came Bronson and Mission: Impossible....
    . Inside Star Trek: The Real Story. ISBN 0671896288. Published 1999.
  • Takei, George
    George Takei

    George Hosato Takei Altman is an American actor, best known for his role in the TV series Star Trek: The Original Series, in which he played Hikaru Sulu on the USS Enterprise ....
    . To The Stars: The Autobiography of George Takei: Star Trek's Mr Sulu. ISBN 0-671-89008-5. Published 1994.
  • Whitney, Grace Lee
    Grace Lee Whitney

    Grace Lee Whitney is an American actor and entertainer, also known as Ruth Whitney and Lee Whitney. She is most famous for playing the role of Janice Rand in a number of Star Trek television series and films....
     and transcribed by Jim Denney. The Longest Trek: My Tour of the Galaxy. Foreword by Leonard Nimoy
    Leonard Nimoy

    Leonard Simon Nimoy is an American actor, film director, poet, musician and photographer. He is best known for playing the character of Spock on Star Trek: The Original Series, an American television series that ran for three seasons from 1966 to 1969, in addition to reprising the role in several movie sequels....
    . ISBN 188495605X; ISBN-13 978-1884956058. Published 1998.


External links

Retrieved on 2008-01-24
  • by Robert Bowman, Christian Research Journal, Fall 1991, pp. 20 ff.
  • on Roddenberry's The Questor Tapes
    The Questor Tapes

    The Questor Tapes is a 1974 television movie about an android with incomplete memory tapes who is searching for his creator and his purpose....
    .