Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the science fiction series Star Trek.

• from Gene Roddenberry - Telegraph Obituary, Published October 26 1991

NASA named its first Space Shuttle "The Enterprise;" when the rocket was unveiled the Air Force Band struck up not The Star Spangled Banner but the theme from Star Trek (click for YouTube). The show attracts a mass audience, as well as the hard-core devotees, and is the object of keen intellectual scrutiny. More than 50 books have been written about it; "Star Trek sets out to show that 'the Starship Enterprise explores not simply outer space, but also the inner reaches of the human psyche'."

Gene Roddenberry was happy to concur with such analysis. 'We did try to raise some interesting issues,' he once said. 'What does it mean to be 'human' for instance? People come in different forms, and we're still so afraid of that. 'In Star Trek we showed that monsters were not necessarily evil because they were different. It was trying to say: 'I am an alien and so are you, and we're also part of each other'.'

• from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/29/gene-roddenberry-son-star-trek_n_1119119.html

"When I turned around, I was looking into the face of Dr. Martin Luther King, walking toward me with a big smile on his face," (actress Nichelle Nichols) recalled. "And he said, 'Yes, Miss Nichols, I am your greatest fan. ... You are our image of where we're going, you're 300 years from now, and that means that's where we are and it takes place now. Keep doing what you're doing, you are our inspiration.'"

And then the leader of the civil rights movement told Nichols, "Besides, 'Star Trek' is the only show that my wife, Coretta, and I will allow our little children to stay up late and watch. YOU are their hero."

When Nichols told Roddenberry about her encounter with King, the "Star Trek" creator said, "'God bless Dr. Martin Luther King. Somebody knows what I'm trying to achieve here.' And a big tear came down his face. And Gene was not a man to cry."

Family

• Born: August 19, 1921, El Paso
• Died: October 24, 1991, Santa Monica
• Movies and TV shows: Star Trek: The Original Series, More
• Parents: Eugene Edward Roddenberry b: 28 AUG 1896 in Charlton Co, GA & Caroline Glen Goldman b: 3 FEB 1904
• Married 1) Eileen Anita Rexroat (m 1942-1969)
• Married 2) Majel Hudec known as Barrett (m 1969–1991)
• Children: Rod Roddenberry, Dawn Roddenberry Compton, Darleen Anita Roddenberry-Bacha

Links

• Gene Roddenberry entry, Museum of Broadcast Communications Wikipedia, imdb, star trek database, North FL/South GA/NY Families Rootsweb database