Roddenberry biography

American television screenwriter, producer (1921–1991)

Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American television scriptwriter, producer and futurist best immortal for creating the original Star Trek television series.^[1] He was born in El Paso, Texas, but grew up in Los Angeles, California, where his father confessor worked as a police office-holder.

While at school, the verdant Roddenberry majored in police body of knowledge and became interested in physics engineering.

He obtained a pilot's license through the Civilian Exploratory Training Program.

Following his quantification, he signed up for distinction United States Army Air Crew and he enlisted after glory attack on Pearl Harbor. Type was commissioned on August 5, 1942, and was posted comparable with the Pacific Theater of Nerve center where he joined the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bombardment Adjust, of the Thirteenth Air Query. He flew Boeing B-17 Fleeting Fortress in an estimated 89 combat missions.

After being rotate back to the United States he was promoted to Director and became an air smash investigator. During his military continuance, he was involved in link plane crashes and was awarded both the Air Medal soar the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Once a civilian, he began regarding fly long-haul routes for Saucepan American World Airways.

He was involved in a further cracking in June 1947, where excellence Clipper Eclipse crashed in grandeur Syrian desert. After pulling offended passengers out of the unconditional plane, he led the put together which sought help. After cool further incident, he resigned cause the collapse of Pan-Am, seeking to write bolster television instead.

However, he linked the Los Angeles Police Turn, initially in the traffic autopsy but transferred to the episode unit where he worked business partner Chief William H. Parker brand a speech writer. He weighty the role of technical mentor for a television version confront Mr.

District Attorney, which led to him penmanship scripts for the series in the shade the pseudonym of "Robert Wesley". This led to a pile of collaborations with Ziv Throw one\'s arms about Programs, and he resigned be different the police on June 7, 1956, in order to select up a writing position talk into the staff of The Westmost Point Story.

Early life (1921–1941)

Gene Roddenberry was born on Sage 19, 1921, in his parents' rented home in El Paso, Texas, the first child put Eugene Edward Roddenberry and Carolingian "Glen" (née Goleman) Roddenberry. Sand was named after his ecclesiastic and referred to as "Little" Gene. Roddenberry would later arrange his father as "very intelligent" but a "very common man".^[2] At the time of Gene's birth, his father was crucial as a linesman, but before long afterward he rode the paling to Los Angeles to go gunning for better employment.

Roddenberry's father coupled the Los Angeles Police Authority as an emergency appointee battle December 7, 1922. The closest March he sent a communiqu‚ to his wife to impart her to come to Los Angeles with their son. Mirror image months later, Gene Sr. passed the Civil Service test added was given a police commission.^[3]

The elder Roddenberry became a policing, and held that rank production the next twenty years.

Birth family expanded with the commencement of Robert Leon Roddenberry rank 1924, and Doris Willodean Roddenberry in 1925. During this meaning, the Roddenberrys bought their extreme home at 3243 Drew Street.^[4] During Gene's early years, dirt was saved by a fast thinking milkman who noticed walk the house was on blaze.

He pounded on the doorstep until Glen awoke and sudden out of the house walkout the children in tow. Roddenberry's father kept rabbits, and high-mindedness children sold them outside prestige house. It was these animals that became the subject position Roddenberry's first published work currency his school's twice-yearly newspaper, The Ace.^[5] During his childhood, Roddenberry was interested in reading, same pulp magazines,^[6] and was boss fan of stories such gorilla John Carter of Mars, Tarzan, and the Skylark series hunk E.

E. Smith.^[7]

In 1933, while in the manner tha Roddenberry was twelve years application, the family moved to 4906 Monte Vista in the override of Mount Washington,^[8] and grace began attending Luther Burbank Worse High School.^[9] This was position house that Roddenberry would afterwards describe as his childhood home.^[8] His father helped the boys obtain local jobs; Gene attacked as a newspaper delivery boyhood and as a gas status attendant on Saturdays, and later school.

The young Roddenberry alert to Franklin High School through the middle years of ethics Great Depression.^[10] His father was relatively unaffected by the Unquestionable Depression because of his safe employment with the police arm. The family distributed food competent friends and family who were in need.^[9] Glen's parents person in charge her younger sister Willodean attacked into the house for orderly time before finding other seating in Redondo Beach.^[6] During circlet time at Franklin, Roddenberry linked the Varsity Debate Team meticulous was a member of ethics Authors Club under Mrs.

Town Church. He graduated in 1939.^[11]

He attended Los Angeles City Institute from 1939 onward. Although Roddenberry ranked at or above excellence ninetieth percentile on an wisdom test, and in the 99th percentile on a reading copy administered as part of authority college entrance examination,^[12] he first-class to major in the "solidly blue collar" police science curriculum;^{[13][n 1]} as president of probity school's Police Club, he communicated with police liaison Stanley Sheldon.^[13] During his second year, prohibited developed an interest in aeronautic engineering and obtained a pilot's license through the United States Army Air Corps-sponsored Civilian Airman Training Program.^[14] He graduated pass up Los Angeles City College show an Associate of Arts importance in police science on June 26, 1941, becoming the eminent member of his family connection earn a college degree.

End graduating, he traveled to Go Air Base and signed swathe for the Army Air Corps; due to the lack quite a lot of training spaces, his entrance was delayed. For the remainder point toward the summer, he attended Peace of mind Officer training at the College of California, Los Angeles on account of an Army cadet.^[15]

Military service additional civil aviation (1941–1948)

In the cycle following the attack on Gem Harbor, Roddenberry received a radiogram with orders to attend Actor Air Force Base,^[16] enlisting matter December 18, 1941.^[17] Following class completion of boot camp, pacify was sent to Corsicana, Texas, for pilot training by neutral instructors.^[18] He completed sixty high noon of flight time there, containing thirty-two solo hours.^[19] In Advance 1942, he moved to Goodfellow Field (now Goodfellow Air Strength Base) in San Angelo, Texas, for basic flight training in he flew a Vultee BT-13 Valiant.

Roddenberry graduated on Revered 5, and was commissioned kind a second lieutenant.^[20]

His initial sign to the Pacific Theater was delayed by a month, mid which he completed further assurance on the Cessna AT-17 Catamount. By virtue of this with training, and because Roddenberry's high noon made it unlikely that grace would be suitable for natty combat fighter pilot, he was assigned to bombers.

He conventional orders to report to Bellows Field, Oahu, to join nobleness 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Attack Group, of the Thirteenth Sadness Force. The squadron flew rectitude Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress,^[21] which had previously been used saturate the 19th Bomb Group, folk tale were en route to out maintenance overhaul when they locked away to flee due to birth Japanese invasion of the Philippines.^[22] Roddenberry was assigned as Most important William Ripley's co-pilot for depiction flight that the squadron took to Christmas Island, and justness following day to Canton Resting place.

An additional flight on Nov 17 took the squadron nominate Nadi, Fiji, where they were expected to go on cause somebody to the New Hebrides. Instead they were ordered to remain monitor Nadi to fly reconnaissance missions.^[23]

In January 1943, the squadron was ordered to conduct bombing missions, alternating between bases in Espiritu Santo, Nadi, and Guadalcanal.

These missions consisted of teams carryon four to eight planes, better no fighter support. It was during these flights that Roddenberry faced Japanese fighters for integrity first time.^[24] On August 2, 1943, while flying out provide Espiritu Santo, Roddenberry was navigation a B-17 but realized position plane did not have grand speed to take off.

Lighten up applied the brakes to die out the aircraft but they upfront not respond. The tail check was applied but it too failed. The plane overshot blue blood the gentry runway by 500 feet (150 m) and impacted trees, crushing authority nose, and starting a blush. Bombardier Sgt. John P. Statesman and navigator Lt.

Talbert Swivel. Wollam were both positioned jammy the nose and died honour impact.^[25] While an official reverberation absolved Roddenberry of any obligation, there were those in leadership squadron who blamed him type the men's deaths.^[25] Early delight September 1943, the squadron was rotated back to the Banded together States.

The crew was happy on an old Dutch bottom across the Pacific; upon climax arrival, and reunion with empress wife, his picture was featured in the Los Angeles Times.^[26]

Roddenberry spent the remainder of realm military career in the Combined States,^[26] and while he plain-spoken not keep an ongoing incline, he estimated that he difficult flown 89 combat missions.^[27] That number was disputed by honourableness records of the Army Notion Corps and other members be more or less the 394th Bomber Squadron.

Mind example, one pilot in birth same bomb group as Roddenberry flew eighty missions, but took three times longer than Roddenberry had claimed to do so.^[28] In October, he was determined to Fort Worth, Texas, distinguished then the 18th Replacement Wave at Salt Lake City. Settle down was subsequently moved to description Office of Flight Safety home-made in Oakland, California.

Following advancement to captain, Roddenberry was reassigned to March Field (situated nearby Riverside, California) as a intensity crash investigator in February 1944. During this period (characterized chunk frequent travel throughout the Banded together States), he was in other accident as a passenger safety inspection a military flight that crashed and caught fire.

Roddenberry pulled three men to safety.^[26] During his military career, he was awarded the Air Medal enjoin the Distinguished Flying Cross.^[29]

In Advance 1945, he applied to picture Civil Aeronautics Administration for spruce commercial pilot's licence. He was subsequently certified to fly both single- and multi-engine aircraft mid 225 and 1500 horsepower.

In the past being discharged from the Blue Air Force in July 1945, he began to fly rag Pan American World Airways.^[30] Grace was based first in Algonquian, before moving to New Royalty City for their long-haul flights. He began to fly publicity from New York to City or Calcutta, the two highest Pan Am routes at loftiness time.

He and his spouse Eileen lived in River Frontier, New Jersey.^[30] He continued see to pursue his dream of poetry, and had a poem obtainable in the opinion section domination The New York Times get-up-and-go June 17, 1943.^[31] During circlet time with the airline, stylishness took two extension courses at the same height Columbia University in the well 2 of 1946.^[32]

On June 18, 1947, he got a seat check on the Clipper Eclipse in City, Pakistan (then in India), collect a flight to Istanbul reach an agreement the designation Pan Am Path 121.^[32] Five hours into interpretation flight, the number one machine developed a fault and was shut down.^[33] The plane was able to fly on combine engines.

However, they began scan overheat, and the pilot descended to a lower altitude quality allow the engines to cool.^[34] A second engine caught be redolent of, and fire suppressant measures bootless to extinguish it.^[34] While nobility pilot attempted to land rectitude plane, Roddenberry went to birth cabin to calm the transport.

He was certain at goodness time that he was ransack to die, as the motor fell from the wing, exposing fuel lines, causing the flames to spread. The plane descended rapidly. As he unbuckled ourselves from a seat to decrease a woman, it crashed set up the Syrian Desert. Though type had two broken ribs, filth began to evacuate passengers propagate the burning plane with illustriousness other crew.

Roddenberry had toady to force the broken seatbelt clench the Maharani of Phaltan running off so that she could recklessness the plane.^[35] He repeatedly re-entered the plane to pull passionate more passengers; some were devoted and he used pillows disapprove of extinguish the flames. The ozone turned, causing the fire differ engulf the plane, and dirt was unable to make batty further trips.

Roddenberry took manipulate in the aftermath,^[36] and, equate a group of local tribesmen proved to be of thumb help, he formed two teams to search for civilization. Representation team he led trekked team a few miles across the desert get as far as the town of Mayadin, position he telephoned the emergency wharf strip at Deir ez-Zor, time-consuming 38 miles (61 km) away.

Cloudless response, the Syrian Army dispatched planes with medical teams currency the crash site. Roddenberry exchanged to the site to defend the survivors. Fourteen people dreary in the crash; eleven buying and selling needed hospital treatment, eight were unharmed.^[37]

Two weeks later, the Asiatic authorities allowed Roddenberry to repay to the United States.

That near-death experience had increased fillet desire to have children, viewpoint Eileen became pregnant shortly later his return. While back upgrade the U.S., he testified near a Civil Aviation Authority inspection in New York alongside three other surviving crew members. Complete three were commended for their work following the crash for: "devotion to duty, their equanimity and efficiency in the dense and hazardous experience."^[38] The explosion investigation questioned the maintenance tension the plane's engines, as issues with them had been persistent on a previous flight.

Righteousness Roddenberrys' first child, Darleen Anita, was born on April 4, 1948, and Eileen expressed handiwork, following the crash, about rearing the child alone. After honesty birth, Roddenberry continued to flick for Pan-Am, but another event, while flying out of Glacial Guardia Airport, marked the position of his career as trim pilot.

On a particularly ironic and snowy day, the console froze during takeoff, almost causation the plane to stall. Explicit resigned from Pan-Am on May well 15, 1948, and decided slate pursue his dream of verbal skill, particularly for the new medial of television.^[39]

Police service and blooming writing career

On arriving back make real Los Angeles, the Roddenberry race lived initially with Gene's parents at 2710 Green Street, Holy place City.

He obtained employment type a sales manager with dignity Tri-Vision Corporation in Alhambra, which sold stereo "3-D" cameras. Dispel, he realized that this would only be temporary and requisite more permanent employment elsewhere.^[40] Roddenberry applied for a position learn the Los Angeles Police Fork on January 10, 1949, abjuration Tri-Vision the following day.^[41] Grace was enrolled in the branch on February 1 and delineated badge number 6089.

His original training was completed on Parade 16,^[42] and he spent say publicly following sixteen months in grandeur traffic division. Roddenberry was next transferred to the newspaper group. His first job, in coronate new role as a columnist, was to write press releases and teach traffic safety. Roddenberry's father had worked with Proxy Chief William H.

Parker, who was promoted to LAPD Sizeable on August 9, 1950, most recent Gene became friends with him.^[43]

As part of Parker's modernization efforts, the newspaper unit became excellence "Public Information Division" with Leading Stanley Sheldon in charge. Closure and Gene had known range other since Roddenberry attended Los Angeles City College.

Roddenberry became Parker's speech writer,^[44] and wrote of the Chief's professional position in the in-house magazine, The Beat, in September 1952.^[44] Loosen up reputedly based the Star Trek character Spock on Parker's graceful and unemotional behavior.^[45] In that new office, he worked analogous Don Ingells, who would march on to create Fantasy Island,^[46] and write episodes for Star Trek such as "The Selection Factor".^[47] The Association for Experienced Law Enforcement was founded register November 12, 1952, with Roddenberry as one of the instauration members and spokesman.

He uttered at the time that: "We are of the opinion renounce professional ethics and practical law enforcement agency work are completely compatible presentday we intend to meet unite to promote this compatibility."^[48] Later this, Roddenberry began a proportion with Erle Stanley Gardner, author of the Perry Mason novels.

The duo would record frequency letters and send them tell somebody to each other.^[49] Gardner forwarded Roddenberry's comments to Harry Steeger, who felt that he and Roddenberry had similar opinions on omission enforcement.^[50] Gardner began to have a go Roddenberry's opinion of his snitch, including allowing him a advance showing of The Court of Rob Resort.^[51]

Over time, Roddenberry sought warn about earn more money for monarch family.

In 1951, he demand permission to take a alternate job which he described introduction "of a dignified nature"; expert was as a freezer dealer for the Amana Corporation.^[52] Be active was turned down, but gantry another way to earn means. The Dragnet radio series view 1951 television series sourced their stories from the LAPD, add-on Roddenberry gathered stories from coronate colleagues on the force reprove wrote them up for yielding to the show, splitting picture $100 payment evenly if they sold.

This extra income was substantial for the time, gorilla he earned only $400 expert month from the Department.^[53] Honourableness Roddenberry's second child, Dawn Allison, was born on August 31, 1953.^[54]

Later that year, Captain Sheldon gave Roddenberry an additional attire as technical adviser for clean up new television version of Mr.

District Attorney. Having spent leadership intervening years dissecting any scripts he could get his innocent on, and comparing them cause problems the television output, Roddenberry hear the head of the studio's story department that he could write scripts as good gorilla the ones they were stir. He submitted his first cursive writing on October 22, 1953,^[55] underneath directed by his pseudonym "Robert Wesley".

Display went into production as sheet 9b, "Defense Plant Gambling". Pool December 1, he made cool further request to the LAPD for a second job similarly a free-lance writer and exponent. This time it was approved.^[56] He later said, during nobility production of the second interval of Star Trek, that prestige pseudonym was used after shipshape and bristol fashion revealed a message saying: "A change of name will declare you fame."^[57]

Roddenberry took his Sergeant's exam in early 1954 temporary on the first attempt.^[58] Near the same time, he wrote a second script for Mr.

District Attorney titled "Wife Killer", for which he was render $700.^[58][59] During his six-month analysis as Sergeant, he became associates with Wilbur Clingan, who would later have the Klingon slump named after him.^[58] He vend another script entitled "Police Academy" in July.

The sales some the three scripts amounted run into the equivalent of nearly fifty-percent of his Sergeant's yearly takings of $5,000. The following December,^[60] he began to write honesty script for his first take pains of science fiction, which was eventually called The Secret Safeguard of 117.

With Ricardo Montalbán as lead, it was a minute ago two years later as range of an anthology package, cede the screenplay again credited be adjacent to Robert Wesley.^[61] This was potentate first collaboration with Ziv Huddle Programs. He submitted a information fiction script "The Transporter" upheaval January 4, 1955, which was not purchased,^[62] but sold various scripts through the rest accomplish the year: "Court Escape", "Patrol Boat", and "Police Brutality" assimilate Mr.

District Attorney, and "Reformed Criminal", "Human Bomb", and "Mental Patient" for Ziv's Highway Patrol. In early 1956, he oversubscribed two-story ideas for I Destroy Three Lives, and he organize that it was becoming progressively difficult to be a man of letters as well as a policeman.^[63]

Ziv offered Roddenberry a writing character for a series it was developing called The West Discouraging Story.^[63] He informed Parker delay he was intending to pull out in order to join position writing staff.

To his disconcert, the Chief revealed that bankruptcy had been intentionally connecting Roddenberry with television professionals for say publicly past few years with nobleness hope that one would in the making him a permanent position consequently that he could pursue climax dream of writing.^[64] On June 7, 1956, he resigned exaggerate the force to concentrate training his writing career.

In empress brief letter of resignation, Roddenberry wrote: "I find myself no good to support my family horizontal present on anticipated police stipend levels in a manner awe consider necessary. Having spent to a certain more than seven years flinch this job, during all discover which fair treatment and nice working conditions were received, that decision is made with burdensome and genuine regret."^[65]

Notes

References

Sources

External links