Editing Majel Barrett (section)

==Career==
Barrett was briefly seen in ''[[Will Success Spoil Rock Hunter?]]'' (1957) in an ad parody at the beginning of the film, and had roles in a few films, including ''[[Love in a Goldfish Bowl]]'' (1961), ''[[Sylvia (1965 film)|Sylvia]]'' (1965), ''[[A Guide for the Married Man]]'' (1967), and ''[[Track of Thunder]]'' (1967). She worked at the [[Desilu Productions|Desilu Studios]] on several TV shows, including ''[[Bonanza]]'', ''[[The Untouchables (1959 TV series)|The Untouchables]]'', ''[[The Lucy Show]]'', and ''[[The Lieutenant]]'' (produced by Gene Roddenberry). She received training in comedy from [[Lucille Ball]]. In 1960, she played Gwen Rutherford on ''[[Leave It to Beaver]]''.

===''Star Trek''===
In various roles, Barrett participated in every incarnation of the popular [[science fiction]] ''[[Star Trek]]'' [[Media franchise|franchise]] produced during her lifetime, including live-action and animated versions, television and cinema, and nearly all of the time periods in which the various series have been set.

She first appeared in [[Star Trek: The Original Series|''Star Trek'']]'s initial pilot, "[[The Cage (Star Trek: The Original Series)|The Cage]]" (1964), as the [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS ''Enterprise'']]'s unnamed first officer, "[[Number One (Star Trek)|Number One]]". Barrett was romantically involved with Roddenberry, whose marriage was on the verge of failing at the time, and the idea of having an otherwise unknown woman in a leading role just because she was the producer's girlfriend is said to have infuriated NBC network executives who insisted that Roddenberry give the role to a man.<ref name=Solow>{{cite book |last1 = Solow |first1 = Herbert F. |last2 = Justman |first2 = Robert H. |name-list-style = amp |year = 1996 |title = Inside Star Trek: The Real Story |location = New York |publisher = Pocket Books |isbn = 0-671-89628-8 |url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287 }}</ref> [[William Shatner]] corroborated this in ''Star Trek Memories'', and added that female viewers at test screenings hated the character as well.<ref>{{cite book |title = Star Trek Memories |author1-link = William Shatner |first1 = William |last1 = Shatner |author2-link = Chris Kreski |first2 = Chris |last2 = Kreski |name-list-style = amp |publisher = HarperCollins |isbn = 0-06-017734-9 |year = 1993 }} Claim made in the chapter on "The Cage".</ref> Shatner said that female viewers felt she was "pushy" and "annoying" and also thought that "Number One shouldn't be trying so hard to fit in with the men."<ref>{{harvp|Shatner|Kreski|1993|p=65}}</ref> Barrett often joked that Roddenberry, given the choice between keeping [[Spock|Mr. Spock]] (whom the network also hated) or the woman character, "kept the Vulcan and married the woman, 'cause he didn't think Leonard [Nimoy] would have it the other way around".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.totse.com/en/ego/science_fiction/majel.html |title = Bio and interview of Majel Barrett |date = August 25–26, 1990 |work = Creation presents Majel Barrett |access-date = May 31, 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090117032203/http://www.totse.com/en/ego/science_fiction/majel.html |archive-date = January 17, 2009 }}</ref>

When Roddenberry was casting for the second ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series|Star Trek]]'' pilot, "[[Where No Man Has Gone Before]]", she changed her last name from Hudec to Barrett and wore a blond wig for the role of nurse [[Christine Chapel]], a frequently recurring character,<ref name="telegraph.co.uk"/> who was introduced in "[[The Naked Time]]", the sixth new episode recorded, and was known for her unrequited affection for the dispassionate Spock. Her first appearance as Chapel in film dailies prompted NBC executive Jerry Stanley to yodel "Well, well—look who's back!"<ref name="Solow"/> 

In an early scene in ''[[Star Trek: The Motion Picture]]'', viewers are informed that she has now become Doctor Chapel, a role which she reprised briefly in ''[[Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home]]'', as Commander Chapel. Barrett provided several voices for ''[[Star Trek: The Animated Series]]'', including those of Nurse Chapel and a communications officer named [[M'Ress]], an [[Felidae|ailuroid]] officer who served alongside [[Uhura]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last = Mangels |first = Andy |date = Summer 2018 |title = Star Trek: The Animated Series |journal = RetroFan |issue = 1 |pages = 25–37 |publisher = [[TwoMorrows Publishing]] }}</ref>

Barrett returned years later in ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', cast as the outrageously self-assertive, iconoclastic [[Betazoid]] ambassador, [[Lwaxana Troi]], who appeared as a recurring character in the series, often visiting her daughter [[Deanna Troi|Deanna]], the ship's counselor. Her character often vexed the captain of the ''Enterprise'', [[Jean-Luc Picard]], who spurned her amorous advances. She later appeared as Ambassador Troi in several episodes of ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', where her character developed a strong relationship with [[Odo (Star Trek)|Constable Odo]].

She was the regular voice of the onboard computers of Federation starships for ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'', ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'', ''[[Star Trek: Voyager]]'', and most of the ''Star Trek'' movies. She reprised her role as a shipboard computer's voice in two episodes of the prequel series ''[[Star Trek: Enterprise]]'', thus making her the only actor to have a role in all six televised ''Star Trek'' series produced up to that time. She also lent her voice to various computer games and software related to the franchise. The association of her voice with interactions with computers led to Google's [[Assistant (Google)|Assistant]] project being initially codenamed Google Majel. She made a point of attending a major [[Star Trek convention|''Star Trek'' convention]] each year in an effort to inspire fans and keep the franchise alive.

On December 9, 2008, shortly before her death, Roddenberry Productions announced that she would be providing the voice of the ship's computer again, this time for the [[Star Trek (2009 film)|2009 motion picture reboot]] of ''Star Trek''.<ref>{{cite press release |first1 = Sean |last1 = Rossall |first2 = Alfred |last2 = Hopton |name-list-style = amp |url = http://www.roddenberry.com/MajelBarrettRoddenberryToVoiceEnterpriseComputerInJJAbrams039NewStarTrek.254.news |title = Original ''Star Trek'' Actress Majel Barrett-Roddenberry to Voice Enterprise Computer in J.J. Abrams' New ''Star Trek'' Film |publisher = Roddenberry Productions |date = December 11, 2008 |access-date = December 18, 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081220001638/http://www.roddenberry.com/MajelBarrettRoddenberryToVoiceEnterpriseComputerInJJAbrams039NewStarTrek.254.news |archive-date = December 20, 2008 }}</ref>

===Other roles===
{{rquote|right|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.|[[Rod Roddenberry|Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry, Jr.]]|<ref>{{Cite news |title = Trek creator's widow dies aged 76 |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7791210.stm |date = 2008-12-19 |publisher = [[BBC News]] |access-date = 2021-12-18 |archive-date = 2021-12-18 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20211218202918/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7791210.stm |url-status = live }}</ref>}}

She appeared as Primus Dominic in Roddenberry's 1973 [[post-apocalyptic|postapocalyptic]] TV drama pilot, ''[[Genesis II (film)|Genesis II]]''; as Dr. Bradley in his 1974 television film ''[[The Questor Tapes]]'' and as Lilith the housekeeper in his 1977 TV drama pilot, ''[[Spectre (1977 film)|Spectre]]''. She also appeared in [[Michael Crichton]]'s 1973 sci-fi Western, ''[[Westworld (film)|Westworld]]'' as Miss Carrie, a robot brothel madam; the 1977 [[Stanley Kramer]] thriller ''[[The Domino Principle]]'';<ref>{{cite web |first = Majel |last = Roddenberry |url = http://www.roddenberry.com/corporate-majel-biography |title = Majel Barrett Roddenberry – Biography |publisher = Roddenberry Productions |access-date = December 10, 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111106161712/http://www.roddenberry.com/corporate-majel-biography |archive-date = November 6, 2011 }}</ref> and the 1979 television film ''[[The Man in the Santa Claus Suit]]'' starring [[Fred Astaire]]. Her later film appearances included small roles in ''[[Teresa's Tattoo]]'' (1994) and ''[[Mommy (1995 film)|Mommy]]'' (1995).

After Gene Roddenberry's death, Barrett took material from his archives to bring two of his ideas into production. She was executive producer of ''[[Earth: Final Conflict]]'' (in which she also played the character Dr. Julianne Belman), and ''[[Andromeda (TV series)|Andromeda]]''. She also served as creative director for ''[[Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe]]'', a [[comic book]] series based on another archival Roddenberry concept.<ref>{{cite magazine |title = Tekno-Comix Debuts First Titles |magazine = [[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] |issue = 63 |publisher = [[Ziff Davis]] |date = October 1994 |page = 232 }}</ref>

In a gesture of goodwill between the creators of the ''Star Trek'' franchise and of ''[[Babylon 5]]'',<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.ntua.gr/lurk/countries/co/guide/053.html |title = Point of No Return |work = The Lurker's Guide to Babylon 5 |date = October 29, 1996 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090201041445/http://www.ntua.gr/lurk/countries/co/guide/053.html |archive-date = February 1, 2009 }}</ref> she appeared in the ''Babylon 5'' episode "[[Point of No Return (Babylon 5)|Point of No Return]]", as Lady Morella, the psychic widow of the [[Centauri (Babylon 5)|Centauri]] emperor, a role which foreshadowed major plot elements in the series. Parodying her voice work as the computer for the ''Star Trek'' series, Barrett performed as a guest voice on ''[[Family Guy]]'' as the voice of [[Stewie Griffin]]'s ship's computer in the episode "[[Emission Impossible]]".

Barrett's widely recognized voice performance as the ''Star Trek'' computer inspired the [[Amazon Alexa]] interactive [[virtual assistant (artificial intelligence)|virtual assistant]], according to its developer Toni Reid, although Barrett had no direct role in it.<ref name="nyt-alexa">{{cite news |url = https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/style/alexa-amazon-echo.html |title = Alexa, Where Have You Been All My Life? |last = Green |first = Penelope |date = July 11, 2017 |access-date = July 12, 2017 |newspaper = [[The New York Times]] |quote = When Toni Reid and her colleagues at Amazon set out to build the device that is now known as Alexa, they were inspired by the computer that drove the Enterprise on ''Star Trek'' (voiced by Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who played Nurse Chapel on the series and was married to the show's creator). Focusing on cadence and an accent that would suggest 'smart, humble, helpful,' the team tested voices that a diverse population would respond to. 'Our goal was to have Alexa be humanlike,' Ms. Reid said, but why end there? |archive-date = May 15, 2020 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200515235523/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/style/alexa-amazon-echo.html |url-status = live }}</ref>

===Final voiceover work===
Some of Barrett's final voiceover work was still in post-production, to be released in 2009 after her death, as mentioned in the credits of the 2009 film ''[[Star Trek (2009 film)|Star Trek]]'', again as the voice of the ''Enterprise'' computer. An animated production called ''[[Hamlet A.D.D.]]'' credited her as Majel Barrett Roddenberry, playing the voiceover role of Queen Robot.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2009/05/star_trek_computer_voices_majel_barrett_roddenberry.html |title = Voyages of Star Trek Computer Voice Majel Barrett Roddenberry |work = Voices.com |access-date = June 12, 2009 |archive-date = July 17, 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717231308/http://blogs.voices.com/voxdaily/2009/05/star_trek_computer_voices_majel_barrett_roddenberry.html |url-status = live }}</ref>