Overview (5)

Mini Bio (1)

While in junior high school he became interested in science fiction and years later while reading a copy of 'Astounding Stories' when he was working as an airline pilot he decided to give it up and become a writer. He moved West and joined the Los Angeles police force to gain experience that would help him toward a writing carer in Hollywod. He began selling scripts for television shows such as 'Dragnet' and 'Naked City'. He was head writer on 'Have Gun Will Travel' for two years winning the 'Writer's Guild Award' for 'Best Script. He created and produced 'The Lieutenant' followed by 3 years of the 'Star Trek' television series and produced the films 'Pretty Maids All in a Row', the first 'Star Trek' film and was executive consultant on the following two.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tonyman 5

Spouse (2)

Trade Mark (11)

His stories often reflect his social views



His characters are often very diverse, covering many races and ethnicities



Frequently used sci-fi stories as metaphors for social issues





Best known as the creator of the television series Raumschiff Enterprise (1966)

Often used colors to show authority (captains wore yellow, commanders wore blue, etc.)



Many of his antagonists are portrayed as good individuals taken over by fanaticism



His stories often have a conflict between emotion and logic



Many episodes of "Star Trek" had a minor character (known as a redshirt for their distinctive clothing) die to show the danger faced by the main characters



Best known for his utopian vision of the future in which war and poverty have been eradicated



His view of people as being inherently decent and willing to help each other



Known for having diverse casts with many races and creeds represented in the characters



Trivia (34)



During World War II, he had a friend named Kim Noonien Singh; after the war Kim disappeared, and Gene used his name for some characters in the Star Trek series (Khan Noonien Singh from Star Trek II: Der Zorn des Khan (1982) and Noonien Soong from Raumschiff Enterprise - Das nächste Jahrhundert (1987)) in hopes that Kim might recognize his name and contact him.

Some of his ashes sent up in a rocket, launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base.



Might have died in a house fire when still a toddler along with Bob, Doris, and their mother, but a milkman came along and woke them in time.



In 1943 while a United States Army Air Corps pilot, he flew B-17 bombers during World War II, his plane crashed on takeoff because of a mechanical failure, killing two crew members.



On June 19, 1947, he was deadheading (traveling while not on duty) on a Pan Am plane when it crashed in the Syrian desert, killing 7 of 9 crew and 7 of 26 passengers on board. He rescued the Maharani of Phaltan from the wreck. Rescue came in hours, but too late to save most of the luggage, and the victims' possessions, from local tribesmen and villagers.



During World War II, he wrote a song lyric "I Wanna Go Home", which became popular.





His first television script sale, in 1953, was the episode ''Defense Plant Gambling'' for the series Inspektor Garrett (1954). It was broadcast March 2, 1954. In the science-fiction field, his first was "The Secret Weapon of 117", broadcast March 6, 1956 on the anthology series "Chevron Hall of Stars".



He had many lovers and was sometimes overt about it. He and Majel Barrett had been lovers for years when he decided it was time to marry her and asked her to join him -- although he happened to be visiting Japan at the time. Gene did not adhere to any particular religion and since they were in Japan they chose to have a Shinto-Buddhist wedding on August 6, 1969. They regarded this as their real wedding, but his divorce was not yet final and they made it legal with a civil ceremony on December 29, 1969.

Served on the Los Angeles Police Force from 1949 - 1956, badge number 6089. This information from "Star Trek Creator" by David Alexander.





Passed away within 48 hours of screening Star Trek VI: Das unentdeckte Land (1991), the last Trek that revolved around his original characters.



Father of actress Dawn Roddenberry and Darleen Anita Roddenberry who died on October 29, 1995 in an automobile accident.



While meeting with George Takei about a role on Raumschiff Enterprise (1966), Gene accidentally pronounced George's last name "Ta-kei", which is similar to the word expensive in Japanese "takai". He remembered the pronouncation by rhyming it with "okay".



Passed away on October 24, 1991, exactly ten years after Marina Sirtis ' father.



During his years in the L.A.P.D., he was the spokesman for Police Chief W.H. Parker , the namesake for Parker Center, the headquarters of the Los Angeles Police Department.

Biography in: "American National Biography". Supplement 1, pp. 521-522. New York: Oxford University Press, 2002.



Grew up in Los Angeles, California.



Attended Columbia University, the University of Miami and the University of Southern California but did not graduate.





Based the iconic character Mr. Spock on Los Angeles Police Chief W.H. Parker with whom he worked closely.



His series Raumschiff Enterprise (1966) was one of the first series to have African-American and Asian actors in leading roles.

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6683 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on September 4, 1985.



Posthumously inducted into the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame (2007) and the Television Academy Hall of Fame (2010).



Was an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department from 1949 - 1956. He left the L.A.P.D. as a Sergeant to pursue his interest in the entertainment industry.



His grandson, Zale Eugene Roddenberry, was born on August 6, 2013, 10:40 p.m. PT, and weighed 6 pounds, 11 ounces.





Battled alcoholism and drug addiction most of his adult life. His health deteriorated rapidly during development and production of Raumschiff Enterprise - Das nächste Jahrhundert (1987) which caused a great deal of friction with the writing staff, and later forced Roddenberry to retire in the series' third season due to failing health and memory problems.



An interviewer asked Roddenberry about the casting of Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, saying "Wouldn't they have cured baldness by the 24th Century?". Roddenberry answered "By the 24th Century, they wouldn't care.".



The Raumschiff Enterprise (1966) episode "Plato's Stepchildren" featured the first interracial kiss on television, between Kirk and Uhura. They were forced under mind-control, but it is still regarded as a milestone.



Shortly before his death, he was attended by cast members of both Raumschiff Enterprise (1966) and Raumschiff Enterprise - Das nächste Jahrhundert (1987) for the unveiling of a building named in his honor on the Paramount Studios lot.

An asteroid discovered on March 2, 1981 has been renamed 4659 Roddenberry in his honor. He also has a crater located east of Argyre Planitia in Noachis Terra on Mars named in his honor.





Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Raumschiff Enterprise - Das nächste Jahrhundert: Disaster (1991) (#5.5) was the final series episode to air before his death.

Personal Quotes (9)

A man either lives life as it happens to him, meets it head-on and licks it, or he turns his back on it and starts to wither away.



I have felt many times trapped by Star Trek. It cost me dearly. It won't anymore, because I've come to grips with what it is and where it fits in my life.



Normal television limits what you can do. With science fiction, you can exercise your imagination more. I fell in love with it.





I wish I had more control, more like Edgar Rice Burroughs had, but I'm a realist, too. I work in television. I don't know that I would want to spend the rest of my life controlling my characters.

We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing, all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes.



The strength of a civilization is not measured by its ability to fight wars, but rather by its ability to prevent them.



These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its five year mission... to boldly go where no man has gone before.





[on his first meeting with Leonard Nimoy ] If I ever do a science-fiction show, I'm going to put pointed ears on him and use him.

Star Trek was an attempt to say humanity will reach maturity and wisdom on the day that it begins not just to tolerate, but take a special delight in differences in ideas and differences in lifeforms.



If we cannot learn to actually enjoy those small differences, to take a positive delight in those small differences between our own kind, here on this planet, than we do not deserve to go out into space and meet the diversity that is almost certainly out there.

