Showbits

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 18, 2008) — Actress Majel Barrett Roddenberry, beloved star of sci-fi phenomenon Star Trek, passed away early this morning surrounded by family and friends. Roddenberry was 76 years old. [Story continues on her son's Web site]

With the exception of her late husband, Gene Roddenberry, there may be no one who did more to promote the world of Star Trek than Mrs. Roddenberry, who kept "The Great Bird of the Galaxy"'s vision alive after he died in 1991. Television shows Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda, both inspired by the works of Gene Roddenberry, were produced under her guidance. More visibly, she was the only actor to have performed on all six Star Trek series: as Number One in the rejected pilot for The Original Series, then as Nurse Chapel once it was picked up; as a voice actor on The Animated Series; as Deanna's mother, Lwaxana Troi, on The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine; and as the voice of the computer in TNG, DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise ("In a Mirror, Darkly"). Her final work before passing away from leukemia was to continue providing this continuity as the voice of the computer in the upcoming Star Trek film, originally set for release on December 25th, 2008, and now scheduled for May 8th, 2009.

There have been hundreds of people to contribute to the Star Trek legacy over the years, and I mean no disrespect to the likes of William Shatner, Alexander Courage, and Rick Berman. But without Majel Roddenberry, I suspect Gene Roddenberry's universe would've become something far different than it did. Thank you, madam, for the hope you gave us; may we prove worthy of you and your husband's work.