Editing Gene Roddenberry (section)

==Career as full-time writer and producer==
{{see also|Gene Roddenberry filmography}}

===Early career===
Roddenberry was promoted to head writer for ''[[The West Point Story (TV series)|The West Point Story]]'' and wrote ten scripts for the first season, about a third of the total episodes.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 160</ref> While working for Ziv, in 1956, he pitched a series to [[CBS]] set aboard a [[cruise ship]], ''Hawaii Passage'',<ref>{{cite book |editor1-last=Gross |editor1-first=Edward |editor2-last=Altman |editor2-first=Mark A. |editor2-link=Mark A. Altman |title=The Fifty-Year Mission: The Complete, Uncensored, Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek: The First 25 Years |date=June 2016 |publisher=[[Thomas Dunne Books]] |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-250-06584-1 |page=66 |edition=1st |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CCN3CgAAQBAJ&q=%22gene+roddenberry%22+%22hawaii+passage%22&pg=PA66 |access-date=May 12, 2019 |chapter=Gene had been a big fan of 1961's Master of the World. But less known is that five years earlier, in 1956, Gene had pitched an idea for a new series called Hawaii Passage, which followed the adventures of a cruise ship, her captain, and senior officers. What was different here was that Gene referred to the ship as one of the characters, unheard of at the time.}}</ref> but they did not buy it, as he wanted to become a [[Producer (television)|producer]] and have full creative control. He wrote another script for Ziv's series ''[[Harbourmaster (TV series)|Harbourmaster]]'' titled "Coastal Security" and signed a contract with the company to develop a show called ''Junior Executive'' with [[Quinn Martin]]. Nothing came of the series.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 162–164</ref>
[[File:Leonard Nimoy mid 1960s.JPG|thumb|right|upright|[[Leonard Nimoy]] first worked with Roddenberry on ''The Lieutenant''.]]
He wrote scripts for a number of other series in his early years as a professional writer, including ''[[Fireside Theatre|The Jane Wyman Show]]'', ''[[Bat Masterson (TV series)|Bat Masterson]]'' and ''[[Jefferson Drum]]''.<ref name=alex167/> Roddenberry's episode of the series ''[[Have Gun – Will Travel]]'', "Helen of Abajinian", won the [[Writers Guild of America]] award for Best Teleplay in 1958.<ref name="reginald1052"/> He also continued to create series of his own, including a series based on an agent for [[Lloyd's of London]] called ''The Man from Lloyds''. He pitched a police-based series called ''Footbeat'' to CBS, Hollis Productions, and [[Screen Gems]]. It nearly made it into [[ABC (TV station)|ABC]]'s Sunday-night lineup, but they opted to show only [[Western (genre)|Western]] series that night.<ref name=alex167>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 166–167</ref>

Roddenberry was asked to write a series called ''Riverboat'', set in 1860s Mississippi. When he discovered that the producers wanted no black people on the show, he argued so much with them that he lost the job.<ref>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 13</ref> He also considered moving to England around this time, as <!-- Not knighted until 1969. -->[[Lew Grade]]<!-- Much more likely the affiliated ITC (aimed at the US market) rather than the previously listed Associated Television (UK domestic ITV contractor), but no confirmation & source not online. --> wanted Roddenberry to develop series and set up his own production company.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 170</ref> Though he did not move, he leveraged the deal to land a contract with Screen Gems that included a guaranteed $100,000, and became a producer for the first time on a summer replacement for ''[[The Ford Show|The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show]]'' titled ''[[Wrangler (TV series)|Wrangler]]''.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 175</ref>

Screen Gems backed Roddenberry's first attempt at creating a pilot. His series, ''The Wild Blue'', went to pilot, but was not picked up. The three main characters had names that later appeared in the ''Star Trek'' series: Philip Pike, Edward Jellicoe, and James T. Irvine.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 179–180</ref> While working at Screen Gems, an actress, new to Hollywood, wrote to him asking for a meeting. They quickly became friends and met every few months; the woman was [[Majel Barrett|Majel Leigh Hudec]], later known as Majel Barrett.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 181</ref> He created a second pilot called ''333 Montgomery'' about a lawyer, played by [[DeForest Kelley]].<ref name=hise15>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 15</ref> It was not picked up by the network but was later rewritten as a new series called ''Defiance County''. His career with Screen Gems ended in late 1961,<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 182</ref> and shortly afterward, he had issues with his old friend [[Erle Stanley Gardner]]. The ''[[Perry Mason]]'' creator claimed that ''Defiance County'' had infringed his character [[Doug Selby]].<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 186</ref> The two writers fell out via correspondence and stopped contacting one another, though ''Defiance County'' never proceeded past the pilot stage.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 195</ref> The project finally wound up as the NBC series ''[[Sam Benedict]]'' with [[Edmond O'Brien]] in the title role, produced by MGM. E. Jack Neuman took the creator's credit; claiming the character was based on real-life San Francisco lawyer [[Jake Ehrlich]].<ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0507862/ {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=August 2022}}</ref><ref>https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055703/trivia/?ref_=tt_trv_trv {{User-generated source|certain=yes|date=August 2022}}</ref>
[[File:MONY Gene Roddenberry.JPG|thumb|left|Roddenberry appearing in an advertisement for MONY in 1961]]
In 1961, he agreed to appear in an advertisement for [[MONY]] (Mutual of New York) as long as he had final approval.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 198</ref> With the money from Screen Gems and other works, he and Eileen moved to 539 South Beverly Glen, near [[Beverly Hills]].<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 200</ref> He discussed an idea about a multi-ethnic crew on an [[airship]] traveling the world, based on the film ''[[Master of the World (1961 film)|Master of the World]]'' (1961), with fellow writer [[Christopher Knopf]] at [[MGM]]. As the time was not right for science fiction, he began work on ''[[The Lieutenant]]'' for Arena Productions. This made it to the [[NBC]] Saturday night lineup at 7:30&nbsp;pm<ref name=alex201/> and premiered on September 14, 1963. The show set a new ratings record for the time slot.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=25}}</ref> Roddenberry worked with several cast and crew who would later join him on ''Star Trek'', including [[Gene L. Coon]], star [[Gary Lockwood]], Joe D'Agosta, [[Leonard Nimoy]], [[Nichelle Nichols]], and Majel Barrett.<ref name=alex201>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 201–202</ref>

''The Lieutenant'' was produced with the co-operation of [[the Pentagon]], which allowed them to film at an actual Marine base. During the production of the series Roddenberry clashed regularly with the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] over potential plots.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=26}}</ref> The department withdrew its support after Roddenberry pressed ahead with a plot titled "[[To Set It Right]]" in which a white and a black man find a common cause in their roles as Marines.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=28}}</ref><ref name=nichols122/> "To Set It Right" was the first time he worked with Nichols, and it was her first television role. The episode has been preserved at the [[Museum of Television and Radio]] in New York City.<ref name=nichols122>[[#nichols1994|Nichols (1994)]]: p. 122</ref> The show was not renewed after its first season. Roddenberry was already working on a new series idea. This included his ship location from ''Hawaii Passage'' and added a [[Horatio Hornblower]] character, plus the multiracial crew from his airship idea. He decided to write it as science fiction, and by March 11, 1964, he brought together a 16-page pitch. On April 24, he sent three copies and two dollars to the [[Writers Guild of America]] to register his series. He called it ''Star Trek''.<ref name=alex204>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 204</ref>

===''Star Trek''===
{{main|Star Trek: The Original Series}}
When Roddenberry pitched ''Star Trek'' to MGM, it was warmly received, but no offer was made.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 206</ref> He then went to [[Desilu Productions]], but rather than being offered a one-script deal, he was hired as a producer and allowed to work on his own projects. His first was a half-hour pilot called ''Police Story'' (not to be confused with [[Police Story (1973 TV series)|the anthology series]] created by [[Joseph Wambaugh]]), which was not picked up by the networks.<ref name=alex211/> Having not sold a pilot in five years, Desilu was having financial difficulties; its only success was ''[[The Lucy Show]]''.<ref name=vanhise20>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 20</ref> Roddenberry took the ''Star Trek'' idea to Oscar Katz, head of programming, and the duo immediately started work on a plan to sell the series to the networks. They took it to CBS, which ultimately passed on it. The duo later learned that CBS had been eager to find out about ''Star Trek'' because it had a science fiction series in development—''[[Lost in Space]]''. Roddenberry and Katz next took the idea to Mort Werner at NBC,<ref name=vanhise20/> this time downplaying the science fiction elements and highlighting the links to ''[[Gunsmoke]]'' and ''[[Wagon Train]].''<ref name=alex211>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 211–212</ref> The network funded three story ideas and selected "The Menagerie", which was later known as "[[The Cage (Star Trek: The Original Series)|The Cage]]", to be made into a pilot. (The other two later became episodes of the series.) While most of the money for the pilot came from NBC, the remaining costs were covered by Desilu.<ref name=alex213>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 213</ref><ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 216</ref> Roddenberry hired Dorothy Fontana, better known as [[D. C. Fontana]], as his assistant. They had worked together previously on ''The Lieutenant,'' and she had eight script credits to her name.<ref name=vanhise20/>

[[File:William Shatner Sally Kellerman Star Trek 1966.JPG|thumb|right|upright|[[William Shatner]] and [[Sally Kellerman]], from "[[Where No Man Has Gone Before]]", the second pilot of ''Star Trek'']]
Roddenberry and Barrett had begun an affair by the early days of ''Star Trek'',<ref name=alex213/> and he specifically wrote the part of the character [[Number One (Star Trek)|Number One]] in the pilot with her in mind; no other actresses were considered for the role. Barrett suggested [[Leonard Nimoy|Nimoy]] for the part of [[Spock (Star Trek)|Spock]]. He had worked with both Roddenberry and Barrett on ''The Lieutenant'', and once Roddenberry remembered the thin features of the actor, he did not consider anyone else for the part.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 227–228</ref> The remaining cast came together; filming began on November 27, 1964, and was completed on December 11.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 234–236</ref> After post-production, the episode was shown to NBC executives, and it was rumored that ''Star Trek'' would be broadcast at 8:00&nbsp;pm on Friday nights. The episode failed to impress test audiences,<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 238</ref> and after the executives became hesitant, Katz offered to make a second pilot. On March 26, 1965, NBC ordered a new episode.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 243–244</ref>

Roddenberry developed several possible scripts, including "[[Mudd's Women]]", "[[The Omega Glory]]", and with the help of [[Samuel A. Peeples]], "[[Where No Man Has Gone Before]]". NBC selected the last one, leading to later rumors that Peeples created ''Star Trek'', something he always denied.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 246–248</ref> Roddenberry was determined to make the crew racially diverse, which impressed actor [[George Takei]] when he came for his audition.<ref>{{harvp|Takei|1994|p=149}}</ref> The episode went into production on July 15, 1965, and was completed at around half the cost of "The Cage", since the sets were already built.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 252</ref> Roddenberry worked on several projects for the rest of the year. In December, he decided to write lyrics to the ''Star Trek'' theme; this angered the theme's composer, [[Alexander Courage]], as it meant that royalties would be split between them. In February 1966, NBC informed Desilu that they were buying ''Star Trek'' and that it would be included in the fall 1966 television schedule.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 255–256</ref>

On May 24, the first episode of the ''Star Trek'' series went into production;<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 272</ref> Desilu was contracted to deliver 13 episodes.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 275</ref> Five days before the first broadcast, Roddenberry appeared at the 24th [[World Science Fiction Convention]] and previewed "Where No Man Has Gone Before". After the episode was shown, he received a standing ovation. The first episode to air on NBC was "[[The Man Trap]]", on September 8, 1966, at 8:00&nbsp;pm.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 278</ref> Roddenberry was immediately concerned about the series' low ratings and wrote to [[Harlan Ellison]] to ask if he could use his name in letters to the network to save the show. Not wanting to lose a potential source of income, Ellison agreed and also sought the help of other writers who also wanted to avoid losing potential income.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 284</ref> Roddenberry corresponded with science fiction writer [[Isaac Asimov]] about how to address the issue of Spock's growing popularity and the possibility that his character would overshadow Kirk.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 304</ref> Asimov suggested having Kirk and Spock work together as a team "to get people to think of Kirk when they think of Spock."<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 307</ref> The series was renewed by NBC, first for a full season's order, and then for a second season. An article in the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' quoted studio executives as stating that the letter-writing campaign had been wasted because they had already been planning to renew ''Star Trek''.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 287</ref>

[[File:Star Trek crew members.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Some of the main cast of ''Star Trek'' during the third season]]
Roddenberry often rewrote submitted scripts, although he did not always take credit for these.<ref name=alex314>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 314</ref> Roddenberry and Ellison fell out over "[[The City on the Edge of Forever]]" after Roddenberry rewrote Ellison's script to make it both financially feasible to film and usable for the series context.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 313</ref> Even his close friend [[Don Ingalls]] had his script for "[[A Private Little War]]" altered drastically,<ref name=alex314/> and as a result, Ingalls declared that he would only be credited under the pseudonym "Jud Crucis" (a play on "Jesus Christ"), claiming he had been crucified by the process.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 315</ref> Roddenberry's work rewriting "[[The Menagerie (Star Trek: The Original Series)|The Menagerie]]", based on footage originally shot for "The Cage", resulted in a Writers Guild arbitration board hearing. The Guild ruled in his favor over [[John D. F. Black]], the complainant.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=118}}</ref> The script won a [[Hugo Award]], but the awards board neglected to inform Roddenberry, who found out through correspondence with Asimov.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|pp=120–121}}</ref>

As the second season was drawing to a close, Roddenberry once again faced the threat of cancellation. He enlisted the help of Asimov,<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 327</ref> and even encouraged a student-led protest march on NBC. On January 8, 1968, a thousand students from 20 schools marched on the studio.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 329</ref> Roddenberry began to communicate with ''Star Trek'' fan [[Bjo Trimble]], who led a fan-writing campaign to save the series. Trimble later noted that this campaign of writing to fans who had written to Desilu about the show, urging them to write NBC, had created an organized [[Star Trek fandom|''Star Trek'' fandom]].<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 336–337</ref> The network received around 6,000 letters a week from fans petitioning it to renew the series.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 338</ref> On March 1, 1968, NBC announced on air, at the end of "The Omega Glory", that ''Star Trek'' would return for a third season.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 341</ref>

The network had initially planned to place ''Star Trek'' in the 7:30&nbsp;pm Monday-night time slot freed up by ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' completing its run. That would have meant ''[[Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In]]'' had to start a half-hour later (moving from 9:00 to 9:30). Powerful ''Laugh-In'' producer [[George Schlatter]] objected to his highly rated show yielding its slot to the poorly-rated ''Star Trek''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvobscurities.com/articles/star_trek_look/|title=A Look At Star Trek – Television Obscurities|work=Television Obscurities|date=May 24, 2009 |access-date=May 16, 2022|quote=Citing: “‘Laugh-In’ staying put.” ''Broadcasting''. 18 Mar. 1968: 9.}}</ref> Instead, ''Laugh-In'' retained the slot, and ''Star Trek'' was moved to 10:00&nbsp;pm on Fridays. Realizing the show could not survive in that time slot and burned out from arguments with the network, Roddenberry resigned from the day-to-day running of ''Star Trek'', although he continued to be credited as executive producer.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 342–343</ref> Roddenberry cooperated with Stephen Edward Poe, writing as Stephen Whitfield, on the 1968 non-fiction book ''The Making of Star Trek'' for Ballantine Books, splitting the royalties evenly. Roddenberry explained to Whitfield: "I had to get some money somewhere. I'm sure not going to get it from the profits of ''Star Trek''."<ref name=sojust402>[[#solowjustman1996|Solow & Justman (1996)]]: p. 402</ref> Herbert Solow and [[Robert H. Justman]] observed that Whitfield never regretted his 50–50 deal with Roddenberry, since it gave him "the opportunity to become the first chronicler of television's successful unsuccessful series."<ref name=sojust402/> Whitfield had previously been the national advertising and promotion director for model makers [[Aluminum Model Toys]], better known as "AMT", which then held the ''Star Trek'' license, and moved to run [[Lincoln Enterprises]], Roddenberry's company set up to sell the series' merchandise.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=123}}</ref>

Having stepped aside from the majority of his ''Star Trek'' duties, Roddenberry sought instead to create a film based on Asimov's "[[I, Robot]]" and also began work on a ''Tarzan'' script for [[National General Pictures]].<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 390–391</ref> After initially requesting a budget of $2 million and being refused, Roddenberry made cuts to reduce costs to $1.2 million. When he learned they were being offered only $700,000 to shoot the film, which by now was being called a TV movie, he canceled the deal.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: pp. 393–394</ref> NBC announced ''Star Trek''{{'s}} cancellation in February 1969. A similar but much smaller letter-writing campaign followed news of the cancellation.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 398</ref> Because of the manner in which the series was sold to NBC, it left the production company $4.7 million in debt.<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 399</ref> The last episode of ''Star Trek'' aired 47 days before [[Neil Armstrong]] stepped onto the moon as part of the [[Apollo 11]] mission,<ref>[[#alexander1995|Alexander (1995)]]: p. 400</ref> and Roddenberry declared that he would never write for television again.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=175}}</ref>

===1970s projects===
[[File:Rock Hudson, Gene Roddenberry, Roger Vadim, and cast of Pretty Maids All in a Row.jpg|thumb|left|Cast of ''[[Pretty Maids All in a Row]]'' (L-R): (front row) [[June Fairchild]], [[Joy Bang]], Aimee Eccles; (middle row) [[Joanna Cameron]], Gene Roddenberry, [[Rock Hudson]], [[Roger Vadim]]; (back row) [[Margaret Markov]], [[Brenda Sykes]], Diane Sherry, Gretchen Burrell]]
After the cancellation of ''Star Trek,'' Roddenberry felt [[Typecasting (acting)|typecast]] as a producer of science fiction, despite his background in Westerns and police stories.<ref>[[#asherman1988|Asherman (1988)]]: p. 13</ref> He later described the period, saying, "My dreams were going downhill because I could not get work after the original series was cancelled."<ref>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 45</ref> He felt that he was "perceived as the guy who made the show that was an expensive flop."<ref>{{cite news|last1=Schonauer|first1=David|title=What's important is what hasn't changed|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1876&dat=19880422&id=qzwsAAAAIBAJ&pg=6960,2530069&hl=en|access-date=April 15, 2015|work=Herald-Journal|issue=113|date=April 22, 1988|volume=58|page=B8|via=[[Google News]]}}</ref> Roddenberry had sold his interest in ''Star Trek'' to [[Paramount Studios]] in return for a third of the profits but this did not result in any quick financial gain; the studio was still claiming that the series was $500,000 in the red in 1982.<ref>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 58</ref>

He wrote and produced ''[[Pretty Maids All in a Row]]'' (1971), a [[sexploitation]] film directed by [[Roger Vadim]], for MGM. The cast included [[Rock Hudson]], [[Angie Dickinson]], [[Telly Savalas]], and [[Roddy McDowall]] alongside ''Star Trek'' regular [[James Doohan]] and notable guest star [[William Campbell (film actor)|William Campbell]], who had appeared in "[[The Squire Of Gothos]]" and "[[The Trouble with Tribbles]]". ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' was unimpressed: "Whatever substance was in the original [novel by Francis Pollini] or screen concept has been plowed under, leaving only superficial, one-joke results."<ref>{{cite news|title=Review: 'Pretty Maids All in a Row'|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150112054028/http://variety.com/1970/film/reviews/pretty-maids-all-in-a-row-1200422446/|archive-date=January 12, 2015|url=https://variety.com/1970/film/reviews/pretty-maids-all-in-a-row-1200422446/|access-date=March 25, 2015|work=Variety|date=December 31, 1970}}</ref> Herbert Solow had given Roddenberry the work as a favor, paying him $100,000 for the script.<ref name="engel139"/>

[[File:Gene roddenberry 1976.jpg|thumb|upright|right|Roddenberry at a ''Star Trek'' convention in 1976]]
Faced with a mortgage and a $2,000-per-month alimony obligation as a result of his 1969 divorce, he retained a booking agent (with the assistance of his friend [[Arthur C. Clarke]]) and began to support himself largely by scheduling appearances at colleges and science fiction conventions.<ref name=engel140>[[#engel1994|Engel (1994)]]: p. 140</ref><ref>[[#nemecek2003|Nemecek (2003)]]: p. 2</ref> These presentations typically included screenings of "The Cage" and blooper reels from the production of ''Star Trek.''<ref>{{cite news|title='Star Trek' creator brings banned pilot to the Arena Sunday|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/2295345//|access-date=April 26, 2015|work=San Antonio Express|date=January 7, 1977|page=4C|url-access=subscription |via=[[Newspapers.com]]}} {{open access}}</ref> The conventions began to build the fan support to bring back ''Star Trek,'' leading ''[[TV Guide]]'' to describe it, in 1972, as "the show that won't die."<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=149}}</ref>

In 1972 and 1973, Roddenberry made a comeback to science fiction, selling ideas for four new series to a variety of networks.<ref name=hise59/> Roddenberry's ''[[Genesis II (film)|Genesis II]]'' was set in a post-apocalyptic Earth. He had hoped to recreate the success of ''Star Trek'' without "doing another space-hopping show." He created a 45-page writing guide, and proposed several story ideas based on the concept that pockets of civilisation had regressed to past eras or changed altogether.<ref>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 60</ref> The pilot aired as a TV movie in March 1973, setting new records for the ''Thursday Night Movie of the Week''. Roddenberry was asked to produce four more scripts for episodes, but before production could begin again, CBS aired the film ''[[Planet of the Apes (1968 film)|Planet of the Apes]].'' It was watched by an even greater audience than ''Genesis II.'' CBS scrapped ''Genesis II'' and replaced it with a [[Planet of the Apes (TV series)|television series]] based on the film; the results were disastrous from a ratings standpoint, and ''Planet of the Apes'' was canceled after 14 episodes.<ref>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 61</ref>

''[[The Questor Tapes]]'' project reunited him with his ''Star Trek'' collaborator, Gene L. Coon, who was in poor health. NBC ordered 16 episodes, and tentatively scheduled the series to follow ''[[The Rockford Files]]'' on Friday nights;<ref name=hise65/> the pilot launched on January 23, 1974,<ref>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 63</ref> to positive critical response, but Roddenberry balked at the substantial changes requested by the network and left the project, leading to its immediate cancellation. During 1974, Roddenberry reworked the ''Genesis II'' concept as a second pilot, ''[[Planet Earth (film)|Planet Earth]],'' for rival network ABC, with similar less-than-successful results. The pilot was aired on April 23, 1974. While Roddenberry wanted to create something that could feasibly exist in the future, the network wanted stereotypical science-fiction women and were unhappy when that was not delivered.<ref name=hise65>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 65</ref> Roddenberry was not involved in a third reworking of the material by ABC that produced ''[[Strange New World (film)|Strange New World]].''<ref>Alexander, David, "Star Trek Creator." ROC Books, an imprint of Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books USA, New York, June 1994, {{ISBN|0-451-45418-9}}, pp. 398–403.</ref> He began developing ''MAGNA I,'' an underwater science-fiction series, for [[20th Century Fox Television]]. By the time the work on the script was complete, though, those who had approved the project had left Fox and their replacements were not interested in the project. A similar fate was faced by ''Tribunes,'' a science-fiction police series, which Roddenberry attempted to get off the ground between 1973 and 1977. He gave up after four years;<ref>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 67</ref> the series never even reached the pilot stage.{{Citation needed|date=August 2019}}

In 1974, Roddenberry was paid $25,000 by [[John Whitmore (racing driver)|John Whitmore]] to write a script called ''The Nine''.<ref name=nine/> Intended to be about [[Andrija Puharich]]'s parapsychological research, it evolved into a frank exploration of his experiences attempting to earn a living attending science fiction conventions.<ref name=hise59>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 59</ref> At the time, he was again close to losing his house because of a lack of income.<ref name=nine>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=165}}</ref> The pilot ''[[Spectre (1977 film)|Spectre]],'' Roddenberry's 1977 attempt to create an [[Occult detective fiction|occult detective]] duo similar to [[Sherlock Holmes]] and [[Dr. Watson]],<ref name=hise68>[[#vanhise1992|Van Hise (1992)]]: p. 68</ref> was released as a television movie within the United States and received a limited theatrical release in the United Kingdom.<ref>{{cite web|title=A new Trek? Roddenberry's failed TV pilots (video)|work=SyfyWire |url=http://www.blastr.com/2009/10/a_new_trek_roddenberrys_f.php|publisher=blastr|access-date=March 15, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315182604/http://www.blastr.com/2009/10/a_new_trek_roddenberrys_f.php|archive-date=March 15, 2016|date=December 14, 2012}}</ref>

===''Star Trek'' revival===
[[File:Space shuttle enterprise star trek-cropcast.jpg|left|thumb|Roddenberry (third from the right) in 1976 with most of the cast of ''Star Trek'' at the rollout of the [[Space Shuttle]] [[Space Shuttle Enterprise|''Enterprise'']] at the [[Rockwell International]] plant in [[Palmdale, California]]]]
Lacking funds in the early 1970s, Roddenberry was unable to buy the full rights to ''Star Trek'' for $150,000 (${{Inflation|US|.15|1970|r=2}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) from Paramount. [[Lou Scheimer]] approached Paramount in 1973 about creating an animated ''Star Trek'' series.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=150}}</ref> Credited as "executive consultant" and paid $2,500 per episode, Roddenberry was granted full creative control of ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]''. Although he read all the scripts and "sometimes [added] touches of his own", he relinquished most of his authority to ''de facto'' showrunner/associate producer D. C. Fontana.<ref>[[#clark2012|Clark (2012)]]: p. 323</ref>

Roddenberry had some difficulties with the cast. To save money, he sought not to hire George Takei and Nichelle Nichols. He neglected to inform Leonard Nimoy of this and instead, to get him to sign on, told him that he was the only member of the main cast not returning. After Nimoy discovered the deception, he demanded that Takei and Nichols play Sulu and Uhura when their characters appeared on screen; Roddenberry acquiesced. He had been promised five full seasons of the new show but ultimately, only one and a half were produced.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=158}}</ref>

Vociferous fan support (6,000 attended the second New York ''Star Trek'' convention in 1973 and 15,000 attended in 1974, eclipsing the more established array of approximately 3,600 fans and industry professionals who attended the [[32nd World Science Fiction Convention]] in [[Washington, D.C.]] in 1974) led Paramount to hire Roddenberry to create and produce a feature film based on the franchise in May 1975.<ref name=reevesphase16>[[#Reeves-Stevens1997|Reeves-Stevens & Reeves-Stevens (1997)]]: p. 16</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://fanlore.org/wiki/Star_Trek_Conventions |title=Star Trek Conventions |access-date=July 3, 2016 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160618081359/http://fanlore.org/wiki/Star_Trek_Conventions |archive-date=June 18, 2016 }}</ref> The studio was unimpressed with the ideas being put forward; John D. F. Black's opinion was that their ideas were never "big enough" for the studio, even when one scenario involved the end of the universe.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=179}}</ref> Several ideas were partly developed including ''[[Star Trek: The God Thing]]'' and ''[[Star Trek: Planet of the Titans]]''.<ref name=starlog2p13/><ref>[[#Reeves-Stevens1997|Reeves-Stevens & Reeves-Stevens (1997)]]: p. 17</ref> Following the commercial reception of ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'', in June 1977, Paramount instead green-lit a new series set in the franchise titled ''[[Star Trek: Phase II]]'',<ref name=engel180/> with Roddenberry and most of the original cast, except Nimoy, set to reprise their respective roles.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=181}}</ref>

It was to be the anchor show of a proposed Paramount-owned "[[fourth television network|fourth network]]",<ref name=engel180>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=180}}</ref> but plans for the network were scrapped and the project was reworked into a feature film.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=182}}</ref> The result, ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'', troubled the studio because of budgetary concerns,<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=204}}</ref> but it was a box-office hit. Adjusted for inflation, it was the third-highest-grossing ''Star Trek'' movie, with the [[Star Trek (2009 film)|2009 film]] coming in first and the [[Star Trek Into Darkness|2013 film]] second.<ref>{{cite web| title = Star Trek Movies at the Box Office| work = Box Office Mojo| url =https://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=startrek.htm| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101041641/http://boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=startrek.htm|archive-date=January 1, 2015|access-date = April 15, 2015}}</ref>

In 1980, Roddenberry submitted a treatment for a proposed sequel about the crew preventing the alien [[Klingon]]s from thwarting the [[assassination of John F. Kennedy]]. Mindful of the tumult that suffused the production of ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture'', Paramount rejected the proposal. After he was replaced on the project by television producer [[Harve Bennett]], Roddenberry was named "[[executive consultant]]" for the project, a position he retained for subsequent Star Trek franchise films produced during his lifetime. Under this arrangement, he was compensated with a producer's fee and a percentage of the net profits of the film in exchange for proffering non-binding story notes and corresponding with the fan community; much to his chagrin, these memos were largely disregarded by Bennett and other producers.<ref>{{harvp|Greenberger|2012|p=115}}</ref> An initial script for ''[[Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan]]'' was circulated to eight people; Bennett attributed the subsequent plot leak of the death of Spock to Roddenberry. About 20% of the plot was based on Roddenberry's ideas.<ref>{{harvp|Greenberger|2012|p=118}}</ref>

Roddenberry was involved in creating the television series ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', which premiered with "[[Encounter at Farpoint]]" on September 28, 1987.<ref>{{cite web|title=Encounter at Farpoint, Part I|url=http://www.startrek.com/database_article/encounter-at-farpoint-part-i|publisher=StarTrek.com|access-date=April 26, 2015}}</ref> He was given a bonus of $1 million (equivalent to ${{Inflation|US|1|1982|r=1}}&nbsp;million in {{Inflation/year|US}}) in addition to a salary to produce the series, and celebrated by purchasing a new [[Rolls-Royce Motors|Rolls-Royce]] for $100,000.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=220}}</ref> The arrangement did not entitle him to be executive producer of the series. Paramount was already concerned about the original cast not returning, and fearing fan reaction if Roddenberry was not involved, agreed to his demand for control of the show.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=222}}</ref> Roddenberry rewrote the [[Bible (screenwriting)|series bible]] from an original version by [[David Gerrold]], who had previously written ''The Original Series'' episode "[[The Trouble with Tribbles]]", and ''The Animated Series'' follow-up, "[[More Tribbles, More Troubles]]".<ref>{{cite news|last=Vinciguerra|first=Thomas|title=Nobody Knows the Tribbles He's Seen|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/arts/television/16vinc.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150415111244/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/16/arts/television/16vinc.html?_r=0|archive-date=April 15, 2015|access-date=April 15, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=December 16, 2007}}</ref>

[[File:Majel Barrett in 2006 cropped.png|thumb|right|upright|Majel Barrett at a ''Star Trek'' convention in 2007]]
According to producer [[Rick Berman]], Roddenberry's involvement in ''The Next Generation'' "diminished greatly" after the first season,<ref name=tulock186/> but the nature of his increasingly peripheral role was not disclosed because of the value of his name to fans.<ref name=tulock186>[[#tulockjenkins1995|Tulock & Jenkins (1995)]]: p. 186</ref> While Berman said that Roddenberry had "all but stopped writing and rewriting" by the end of the third season, his final writing credit on the show (a co-teleplay credit) actually occurred considerably earlier, appearing on "[[Datalore]]", the 13th episode of the first season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gene Roddenberry |url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0734472/ |access-date=2022-04-14 |website=IMDb}}</ref>

Although commercially successful from its inception, the series was initially marred by [[Writers Guild of America]] grievances from Fontana and Gerrold, both of whom left the series in acrimonious circumstances;<ref name=engel238/> frequent turnover among the writing staff (24 staff writers left the show during its first three seasons, triple the average attrition rate for such series);<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=243}}</ref> and allegations that Roddenberry attorney Leonard Maizlish had become the producer's "point man and proxy",<ref name=engel238/> ghostwriting memos, sitting in on meetings, and contributing to scripts despite not being on staff.<ref>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=239}}</ref> Writer [[Tracy Tormé]] described the first few seasons of ''The Next Generation'' under Roddenberry as an "insane asylum".<ref name="Engel 1994 p. 247">{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=247}}</ref>

In 1990, [[Nicholas Meyer]] was brought in to direct the sixth film in the series: ''[[Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country]]''. Creatively, Meyer clashed with Roddenberry, who felt that having the ''Enterprise'' crew hold prejudices against the Klingons did not fit with his view of the universe. Meyer described a meeting with Roddenberry he later regretted, saying

<blockquote>His guys were lined up on one side of the room, and my guys were lined up on the other side of the room, and this was not a meeting in which I felt I'd behaved very well, very diplomatically. I came out of it feeling not very good, and I've not felt good about it ever since. He was not well, and maybe there were more tactful ways of dealing with it, because at the end of the day, I was going to go out and make the movie. I didn't have to take him on. Not my finest hour.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Clark|first1=Noelene|title='Star Trek': Nicholas Meyer explains his Roddenberry regret|url=http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/star-trek-nicholas-meyers-explains-his-roddenberry-regret/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150103102322/http://herocomplex.latimes.com/movies/star-trek-nicholas-meyers-explains-his-roddenberry-regret/|archive-date=January 3, 2015|access-date=March 28, 2015|work=Los Angeles Times|date=June 10, 2011}}</ref></blockquote>

In Joel Engel's biography, ''Gene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind Star Trek'', he states that Roddenberry watched ''The Undiscovered Country'' alongside the producers of the film at a private screening two days before his death, and told them they had done a "good job".<ref name=engel259>{{harvp|Engel|1994|p=259}}</ref> In contrast, Nimoy and Shatner's memoirs report that after the screening, Roddenberry called his lawyer and demanded a quarter of the scenes be cut; the producers refused.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Sarantakes, Nicholas Evan|year=2005|title=Cold War Pop Culture and the Image of US Foreign Policy: The Perspective of the Original Star Trek Series|journal=Journal of Cold War Studies|volume=7|issue=4|page=101|doi=10.1162/1520397055012488|s2cid=57563417}}</ref>

Roddenberry wrote the novelization of ''Star Trek: The Motion Picture''. Although it has been incorrectly attributed to several other authors (most notably [[Alan Dean Foster]]), it was the first in a series of hundreds of ''Star Trek''-based novels to be published by the Pocket Books [[imprint (trade name)|imprint]] of [[Simon & Schuster]], whose parent company also owned [[Paramount Pictures Corporation]].<ref>[[#ayers2006|Ayers (2006)]]: p. 314</ref> Previously, Roddenberry worked intermittently on ''The God Thing'', a proposed novel based upon his rejected 1975 screenplay for a proposed low-budget ($3 to $5 million) ''Star Trek'' film preceding the development of ''Phase II'' throughout 1976. Attempts to complete the project by [[Walter Koenig]],<ref>[[#koenig1997|Koenig (1997)]]: p. 217</ref> [[Susan Sackett]], Fred Bronson,<ref>[[#sackett2002|Sackett (2002)]]: pp. 192–193</ref> and [[Michael Jan Friedman]] have proven to be unfeasible for a variety of legal and structural reasons.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Sackett|first1=Susan|title=A Conversation with Gene Roddenberry|journal=Starlog|issue=12|pages=25–29|url=https://archive.org/stream/starlog_magazine-012/012#page/n24/mode/1up|date=March 1978|access-date=January 1, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{harvp|Greenberger|2012|p=192}}</ref>