Gene Roddenberry

Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was born in El Paso, Texas, USA, and spent his boyhood in Los Angeles, California. He is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Star Trek, and was one of the first people to be buried in space.

Life and work

Roddenberry was married twice. He had two children by his first wife, Eileen Rexroat (to whom he was married 27 years) — Dawn, and the late Darleen. His second marriage was to Majel Barrett, who played Nurse Christine Chapel in the original Star Trek series, Lwaxana Troi, and the voice of the computer in the later three series. He had one child, Rod, with Majel.

Related Topics:
Majel Barrett - Christine Chapel - Lwaxana Troi

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Roddenberry first studied to be a policeman for three years, following in his father's footsteps. He later transfered his academic interest in aeronautical engineering and qualified for a pilot's license. Roddenberry joined the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1941 and became an aviator. He flew many combat B-17 missions in the Pacific Theatre and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.

Related Topics:
Aeronautical engineering - Pilot's license - U.S. Army Air Corps - 1941 - B-17 - Pacific Theatre - Distinguished Flying Cross - Air Medal

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After leaving the service, he was a commercial pilot for Pan American World Airways and then served on the Los Angeles Police Department from 1949–1956. Before Star Trek, he wrote scripts for many of the popular television series of the 1950s, such as Have Gun, Will Travel. He produced The Lieutenant, a 1963-1964 NBC series about the U.S. Marines. He was also trying to get other science fiction series off the ground, mostly without success.

Related Topics:
Pan American World Airways - Los Angeles Police Department - 1949 - 1956 - 1950 - Have Gun, Will Travel

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Following the cancellation of "Star Trek" Roddenberry pitched four sci-fi tv series concepts that had pilot movies produced but were not picked up. The Questor Tapes, Genesis II, Planet Earth, and Strange New World. He also directed a minor feature film Spectre.

Related Topics:
The Questor Tapes - Genesis II - Planet Earth - Strange New World - Spectre

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During the latter 1970s, Roddenberry lectured at universities around the country. He amused the attendees with anecdotes from the Star Trek set, spoke of his visions of the future and showed the Star Trek Blooper Reel, a collection of outtakes from the original series. Fans bestowed upon him the affectionate nickname "The Great Bird of the Galaxy" after a mythical creature referenced in an episode of the original Trek series.

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Star Trek ran for three seasons. Although it was cancelled due to low ratings, the series gained wide popularity in syndication. The Star Trek episode was meant to be the pilot for a spinoff series which never came to fruition. Beginning in 1975 go-ahead was given by Paramount for Roddenberry to develop a sequel "Star Trek" television series based around as many of the original cast as could be recruited. This series was to be the anchor show of a new network but plans by Paramount for this network were scrapped and plans were changed to do a Star Trek feature film. The result ' had a lukewarm response but nevertheless, several feature films and a new television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, were created in the 1980s. Roddenberry was deeply involved with creating and producing ', although his involvement lessened in seasons 2 and 3 due to deteriorating health. Star Trek also spawned the television series ', ' and '.

Related Topics:
Ratings - Syndication - Spinoff - 1975 - 1980s

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Roddenberry only produced the first Star Trek film, '. Due to cost overruns and a problematic relationship with the Paramount management, Roddenberry was ousted and replaced by Harve Bennett. He continued as executive consultant on the next four films - ', ', ' and '. The last film based on the original Star Trek series, ' was dedicated in Roddenberry's memory; he reportedly viewed a version of the film a few days before his death.

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In addition to his film and TV work, Roddenberry also wrote the novelization for Star Trek: The Motion Picture, which was published in 1979 and was the first of hundreds of Star Trek-based novels to be published by Pocket Books. It has been claimed by some that Alan Dean Foster was the ghost writer of the book, but this has been debunked, although Foster did contribute to the film's screenplay. Roddenberry talked of writing a second Trek novel but died before he was able to do so.

Related Topics:
1979 - Pocket Books - Alan Dean Foster - Ghost writer

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Writers on the show have charged that ideas they developed were later passed off by Roddenberry as his own, or that he lied about their contributions to the show at Star Trek conventions. Roddenberry was confronted by these writers, and apologized to them, but according to his critics, he continued to repeat the false claims. In her autobiography, actress Nichelle Nichols who played Uhura in the first Star Trek series, reported having had a love affair with Gene Roddenberry. She felt that his strong and controversial inclination to get her on the show had a lot to do with their relationship.

Related Topics:
Autobiography - Nichelle Nichols - Uhura

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Roddenberry's life and work has been favorably chronicled in the biography Inside Trek: My Secret Life with Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry by Susan Sackett, his close associate for 17 years. The book has been described as inaccurate by his critics.

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Despite his reduced management of Star Trek near the end of his life, Roddenberry was still respected enough that Paramount Pictures, owners of the various Star Trek series, agreed to his request that the ' not be considered canon by the studio. According to the reference work The Star Trek Chronology, Roddenberry reportedly considered elements of the fifth and sixth Trek films to be apocryphal, though there is no indication that he wanted them removed from Trek canon.

Related Topics:
Paramount Pictures - Canon

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Gene Roddenberry was a secular humanist . After his death, a lipstick-sized capsule of his ashes was sent into space to orbit the earth for six years (after which they burned up in the earth's atmosphere). There is an asteroid called 4659 Roddenberry and a crater on Mars that were named in his honor.

Related Topics:
Secular humanist - Sent into space - 4659 Roddenberry - Crater - Mars

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After his death in 1991, Roddenberry's estate allowed the creation of two long-running television series based upon some of his previously unfilmed story ideas and concepts. ' and Andromeda have become reality under the guidance of Majel Barrett, although the actual inspiration of at least Andromeda seems very tenuous indeed. A third Roddenberry storyline was adapted in 1995 as the short-lived comic book Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe.

Related Topics:
Andromeda - Comic book

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