Remembering Gene Roddenberry on his birthday

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August 19th is the day Eugene Wesley Roddenberry was born. Today would mark his 93rd birthday. Sadly, as we Trek fans well know, he died in October 1991 at the age of 70.

Roddenberry served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and then came home to become a Los Angeles police officer from 1949 – 1956. He decided to make a go of a career in show business writing for TV. Most famously (before Star Trek) writing many episodes of the long running popular western Have Gun — Will Travel. And then of course in 1964 he pitched the pilot for Star Trek (later titled”The Cage”) to NBC, and while they didn’t like that pilot, he was allowed to retool the show and shoot another pilot, the rest is Trek history.

Gene and Majel - ST4 bridge

In related news, the documentary The Gene “STAR TREK” Roddenberry Project Kickstarter has been fully funded. This is an interview that was originally recorded in 1985 one-on-one with Roddenberry, but the footage ended up being cut for time from the documentary special it was part of and stuck in a vault until 2012.

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That’s a great photo of Majel and Gene!

They look wonderful, don’t they.

Happy “egg-cracking” day, Great Bird. We know you’re up there somewhere, along with your dear Majel! Hope you’re not too disappointed in some of us disputatious fans.

It’s all because we love what you made. Just in our many various ways. Infinite Diversity.

Yes, such a lovely photo!

Glad you gave us Star Trek. RIP, Gene Roddenberry.

God bless you Gene for the Wonderful legacy you gave us. Be careful out there!!

May your spirits inspire the makers of the next movie to create something special, original, and fun.

May your spirits inspire the makers of the next movie to create something special, original, and fun.

Happy Birthday, Great Bird!

Gene’s remains orbit the Earth as we speak..i believe..RIP Gene

They look like they were a great couple.

One of my favorite bits from Justman and Solow’s Inside Star Trek is the story about how Justman, I believe it was, told the normally soft-spoken GR to exaggerate his normal way of speaking and to ramble on, sort of like a crazy person, at their studio pitch because that’s what the suits expected good writers to be like. If GR could give the impression of being intelligent but also a bit nutty, the suits would get the impression that he must be a super creative writer and they’d want to hire him, even if they didn’t understand what he was talking about. In fact, especially if they didn’t understand what he was talking about.

So, Gene played along, and the rest is obviously history.

gone however never forgotten,star trek has been a very important part of my life since i was 18 years old i am now 45 years old and my love for trek has never gone away,thanks to the great bird and all the other talented people,i never met gene however he have help shape the person i am today,thank you,i bet wherever you are you are doing the same thing there

@Matt, that is a very lovely picture.

RIP, Roddenberry.

Thank you Mr. Roddenberry. You gave me a life-long love.
:-)

Voyaging past 70 means that Rodenberry went on a straight-to-heaven Trek!

Where All good men have gone before!

Gene and the First Lady of Star Trek, Majel, are why we’re all here. It’s hard to imagine my life without Star Trek.

@10

Now THAT’S a great story, if true! Best thing I’ve heard all day

Great Bird,
As you can see in the headlines of today, we’ve still got a long way to go to achieve your vision of a mature, peaceful humanity. But, in fits and starts, we’re tryin’!

Thanks for pointing the way.

Fantastic photo! Really captures the love that they had for each other, as well as for “Star Trek” and it’s fans!