A lengthy rare interview with Gene Roddenberry that was believed to have been lost has now been found, and is hoped to become the basis for a new documentary on the birth of the Star Trek series he created. Catch a glimpse of the footage below, plus find out how you can help.

‘Gene Roddenberry Project’ Looking For Funding On Kickstarter

A new Kickstarter project is seeking crowdfunding for a documentary that will explore the birth of Star Trek with creator Gene Roddenberry. The doc will utilize lost footage from an on-camera interview done by producer James Forsher with Roddenberry back in April 1985. Forsher’s original interview was for a show on censorship in Hollywood. According to Forsher:

Roddenberry gave me an interview that explored the genesis of how Star Trek came about, his personal story of how he fought to create the show in the vision of the future he believed in. He passionately described the battles he fought with the networks, studios and an intolerant society that made the show a truly groundbreaking event in modern television history.

However (somewhat ironically) the Roddenberry interview was cut from the final show – and the interview was lost in a vault for almost 30 years. Now the film has been found and Forsher along with filmmaker Gabriel Taylor are seeking funding to use it as the basis of a new documentary.

Here is a video intro for the Kickstarter project.

They are seeking $15,000 to finish a half-hour length documentary. The money would go to paying for producing new interviews with those who knew Roddenberry along with paying for licensing stills and music. If they receive additional funding they will be able to expand the documentary using more footage, possibly up to feature-length (if they can get $75,000 or more). The deadline for the funding is August 10. Pledges can be as small as $1, but for $25 or more you will get a digital download of the doc. There are additional premiums for higher levels of funding. Go to Kickstarter.com to learn more and pledge.