12:00 AM, 19-DECEMBER-08
Trek's First Lady: An Appreciation
Majel Barrett-Roddenberry--who died on Dec. 18 at the age of 76--was more than just an actress, producer and wife of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry: She was the keeper of the Trek flame and of Gene's creative legacy long after he himself passed on in 1991.
Often referred to in fan circles as the "First Lady of Star Trek," Barrett-Roddenberry was best known for appearing in or giving voice to roles in every incarnation of Trek, from the unaired pilot for the original series straight through to J.J. Abrams' upcoming reboot Star Trek movie--the only thespian with such a Trek lineage.
More than that, though, Barrett-Roddenberry took it upon herself to further and protect the legacy of her late husband. She oversaw the operations of Lincoln Enterprises, a company that produced, sold and licensed Star Trek memorabilia. And she served as an executive producer of Gene Roddenberry's Earth: Final Conflict and Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda, long-running syndicated SF series based on ideas that Gene left behind. She helped shepherd and develop Gene's notes and other writings into the successful shows, passing his vision of the universe on to future generations.
Majel frequently attended Star Trek conventions around the globe, accepted posthumous awards on her husband's behalf and acted as an ambassador for Trek with great humor and grace.
Following his mother's passing, her son, Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry Jr., issued the following statement: "My mother truly acknowledged and appreciated the fact that Star Trek fans played a vital role in keeping the Roddenberry dream alive for the past 42 years. It was her love for the fans, and their love in return, that kept her going for so long after my father passed away."
Majel Barrett was already a working actress when she met Gene Roddenberry, who cast her as Number One in his original 1966 Star Trek pilot, "The Cage." NBC executives, who already detested the character of Spock (Leonard Nimoy), insisted that audiences would not accept a woman in a role of such power and compelled Roddenberry to drop Number One and give Barrett a different role.
As a result, she was cast as Nurse Christine Chapel, a minor role that Barrett-Roddenberry played in the ensuing Star Trek series and in Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home; for the movies, the character was promoted to Dr. Chapel.
Later, when Gene Roddenberry launched Star Trek: The Next Generation, Majel beamed aboard as Lwaxana Troi, the Betazoid mother of Deanna Troi, and a tough, egocentric, opinionated and argumentative woman. Lwaxana was introduced as a broad comedic figure, but over the years the recurring character gained depth and factored into increasingly dramatic storylines. Majel also appeared as Lwaxana on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
But it was as the voice of the compuers on all Federation starships--most notably the U.S.S. Enterprise--for which Majel may best be remembered. She did this for the original series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager and the prequel series Enterprise, as well as in most of the Trek feature films.
Just before her death, it was announced that Majel would provide the computer voice in Abrams' Star Trek, which will be released in May 2009.
The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made in Barrett-Roddenberry's name to the C.A.R.E. or Precious Paw, charities that share Barrett-Roddenberry's love for animals and dedication to animal rescue. --Ian Spelling
http://www.scifi.com/scifiwire/index...ory=1&id=63014
Trek's First Lady: An Appreciation
