10 Times Gene Roddenberry Hated Star Trek
Gene Roddenberry was very proud of the universe he created, but also very protective.
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00:00 Gene Ronberry, the creator of Star Trek, was very passionate about the franchise throughout his life.
00:04 He constantly advocated for Trek to portray an earnest and optimistic future for humanity,
00:09 one that mirrored his own hopes for a better tomorrow.
00:12 While most of the time the writers and other creative people working on Trek
00:15 tried their best to follow Gene's utopian vision,
00:18 there were times where it was simply just too restrictive to the story.
00:22 Gene wanted to have no main characters fighting with each other,
00:25 no storylines involving technology being used as a villain,
00:28 no reoccurring aliens or themes,
00:30 and plenty of other things that, if followed, would have honestly ruined Star Trek.
00:35 Of course, Gene's optimism is still respected by creators of Trek today,
00:38 but in a way that's much more realistic than Gene originally intended.
00:42 Some fans criticized modern Trek for not following Gene's guidelines
00:46 as precisely as the original series or The Next Generation,
00:49 but it should be said that some of the greatest moments in Trek history
00:53 were strongly opposed by Mr. Ronberry.
00:55 With all that being said, I'm Bri from Trek Culture,
00:58 and here are 10 times that Gene Roddenberry hated Star Trek.
01:01 Number 10 - Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan
01:04 It may come as a surprise to many Trek fans
01:06 that one of the most beloved movies in the franchise,
01:09 Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan,
01:10 was actually disliked by Roddenberry for many reasons.
01:14 Although the motion picture made money,
01:16 it was received poorly by critics and general audiences,
01:19 most people finding it a bit too boring and pretentious.
01:22 Some even going as far as to dub it the "motionless picture."
01:26 It became clear to the studio that in order to reinvigorate Star Trek,
01:30 they would need to go in a radically different direction for the next film.
01:33 They took a lot of Gene's creative control away,
01:35 instead letting Harv Bennett take the lead for the new script.
01:38 Roddenberry was, of course, upset with having his control taken away,
01:42 though his biggest issue with the film was the supposed militarization of Starfleet.
01:47 He hated the violence in the film and thought that the Genesis device was a ridiculous idea.
01:53 Whether or not he was right, today The Wrath of Khan is regarded as one of Trek's best stories.
01:58 The introduction of a strong villain, a classic from the original series no less,
02:02 showed that Trek can be exciting and fun while still staying smart.
02:07 Number 9. Family
02:08 The Next Generation episode "Family" directly follows the best of both worlds.
02:13 The iconic two-parter episode where Captain Picard got assimilated by the Borg and turned into Locutus,
02:18 destroying countless Starfleet ships at the Battle of Warp 359
02:22 before finally having his humanity restored at the end of the episode.
02:26 In "Family," Picard returns to Earth with the Enterprise to visit his family
02:29 and recover from the trauma of being assimilated.
02:32 Roddenberry was strongly against this script,
02:34 wanting instead to keep the story self-contained in each episode.
02:37 Apparently, Gene would rather have Picard go right back to boldly going,
02:41 mere days after having the very essence of his individuality taken from him
02:46 and being forced to kill thousands.
02:48 However, his main criticism for the script was the way that Picard's upbringing was portrayed
02:52 and the hostility between him and his brother.
02:55 He argued that siblings would simply not argue and fight like that in the 24th century,
03:00 which anyone who has siblings I'm pretty sure would disagree with.
03:03 "Family" would eventually be recognized as one of the most emotional storylines for Picard,
03:08 giving his character more depth.
03:10 It also helps audiences recover after the best of both worlds
03:13 and makes it a little more believable for Picard to return to work in the next episode.
03:18 Number 8 - The Original Series Crossover on The Next Generation
03:21 Strangely, Gene Roddenberry didn't want any classic characters from the original series
03:26 to return in The Next Generation.
03:28 His reason for this, as stated in the official Star Trek Bible he wrote,
03:31 is that he wanted the newest Star Trek show to stand apart from the original
03:35 as something new and different.
03:37 This was a noble goal.
03:38 Roddenberry was committed to not letting the franchise go stale,
03:41 constantly evolving it to be grander and more modern.
03:44 This is something that shows like Discovery, Lower Decks, and Picard are continuing to this day.
03:49 However, every now and then, a cameo from another series in the franchise can be fun to see.
03:55 It helps the universe feel truly connected and real.
03:58 Roddenberry was originally very adamant against crossovers,
04:01 but caved and allowed for DeForest Kelly to make an appearance as Dr. McCoy
04:05 in The Next Generation pilot to tour the Enterprise-D.
04:08 Eventually, Star Trek became more comfortable with crossovers,
04:11 and during Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and other following shows,
04:15 became a deeply connected universe.
04:17 Number 7 - Star Trek III The Search for Spock
04:20 Nowadays, there have been so many ships called Enterprise and Star Trek
04:23 that it's hard to keep track.
04:25 But this wasn't always going to be the case.
04:28 Gene Roddenberry had a strong emotional connection to the original Enterprise,
04:31 and was heartbroken when it was destroyed in Star Trek III The Search for Spock.
04:35 Harv Bennett, another main creative head on Star Trek at the time,
04:38 knew audiences would appreciate the shock ending of having the Enterprise
04:42 self-destruct to save the day.
04:44 Roddenberry, however, believed the destruction of the Enterprise
04:47 was symbolic of Bennett trying to take creative control over Star Trek
04:50 and change it to fit his own vision.
04:52 Roddenberry eventually caved in when it was decided a new Enterprise,
04:56 the Enterprise A, would be constructed to replace the original.
04:59 Previously, the plan was to do away with the name Enterprise forever
05:02 and have the Excelsior be the main hero ship of the franchise.
05:06 Number 6 The Removal of Number One
05:09 The pilot episode of Star Trek The Original series, The Cage,
05:12 featured an entirely different cast apart from Spock.
05:15 Among them playing the First Officer Number One was Majel Barrett,
05:19 the partner and future wife of Gene Roddenberry.
05:21 Gene wanted to give Barrett a lead role in Star Trek,
05:24 but when the studio watched The Cage,
05:26 although they were intrigued by the premise of the show,
05:28 they hated the cast,
05:30 particularly two of the lead characters, Spock and Number One.
05:34 Gene eventually convinced them to keep Spock,
05:36 but all other characters had to be replaced.
05:38 Barrett lost the role of First Officer,
05:40 but appeared in future episodes of the original series
05:43 wearing a blonde wig playing Nurse Chapel.
05:45 Eventually, during The Next Generation,
05:47 Barrett went on to voice a number of computers on the show,
05:50 as well as the fan-favorite character Loxana Troi.
05:53 And of course, we also have Strange New Worlds,
05:55 the show based around the adventures of the original crew from The Cage,
05:59 including Number One, now portrayed by Rebecca Romijn.
06:02 So, although Gene was annoyed by Barrett's exclusion,
06:05 she eventually got to solidify her place in Trek in other ways.
06:08 And her character Number One is finally getting the spotlight in Strange New Worlds.
06:13 Number 5 - Star Trek V - The Final Frontier
06:16 Star Trek V - The Final Frontier is regarded by many fans
06:19 as the worst movie in the franchise,
06:21 but one of its most vocal haters was Gene Roddenberry himself.
06:25 Gene even prepared to take legal action against William Shatner,
06:28 the director of the film,
06:30 for abusing his creation and slapping the name Gene Roddenberry on it.
06:33 The case never materialized, but it did cause a lot of drama behind the scenes.
06:38 Shatner and Roddenberry didn't talk much, if at all, during the production of the movie.
06:42 But when Roddenberry learned about the plot, he became irritated,
06:45 believing that Shatner was ripping off an old movie he was working on,
06:48 but never finished, called The God Thing.
06:51 The script had somewhat similar religious themes as The Final Frontier,
06:54 and Roddenberry was under the impression that Shatner was stealing the story
06:58 that he desperately wanted to tell.
07:00 Number 4 - Redemption
07:02 The Next Generation's season 4 finale, Redemption,
07:05 was the 100th episode made for the series,
07:07 and as such, Roddenberry wanted it to be big.
07:10 Redemption continued the Klingon political arc that began earlier in the series.
07:14 In the episode, we saw a civil war beginning to brew in the Klingon Empire.
07:18 The conflict was resolved by the end of the episode,
07:20 but Roddenberry was still upset that the 100th episode of The Next Generation
07:24 featured a war plot, something he considered too bleak for the show.
07:28 Ronald D. Moore was responsible for pushing Redemption into production,
07:32 despite Gene's wishes, and most fans are glad he did.
07:36 Moore was responsible for creating most of the updated Klingon aesthetics,
07:39 and had a real talent for creating believable alien cultures.
07:43 Redemption is just one example of Moore taking the Klingons
07:46 and fleshing them out to be more believable.
07:48 Beyond his typical hatred for violence,
07:50 Roddenberry also didn't believe that Worf was strong enough of a character
07:54 to carry the 100th episode.
07:56 Fortunately, Redemption, and a few more episodes, especially in Deep Space Nine,
08:00 eventually turned Worf into a pretty good lead character.
08:04 Number 3 - Episodes Where Technology Is The Enemy
08:07 While outlining the rules for Star Trek The Next Generation in his official series bible,
08:12 Gene Roddenberry was very clear that he wanted the writers
08:14 to avoid portraying technology in a negative way.
08:18 Roddenberry was very aware that many people loved Star Trek
08:21 because it takes place in an optimistic future,
08:23 one where technology is humanity's salvation rather than the cause of its demise,
08:28 as in the case with most other science fiction.
08:30 Replicators, transporters, and warp drive turned Earth into a paradise
08:35 where all people are free to explore the universe and pursue their passions.
08:39 However, this advice has been blatantly ignored in The Next Generation many times.
08:44 The Borg, for example, are a technological nightmare that serves as a warning
08:49 for anyone looking to integrate computers with people's minds.
08:52 Or what about the constant transporter and hologram malfunctions?
08:56 All technology has a good and bad side.
08:59 Gene Roddenberry was an optimist who couldn't imagine why someone would use a replicator
09:03 to create a gun rather than a cheeseburger,
09:06 but eventually the writers abandoned this guideline altogether,
09:10 not in fear of new technology, but in acceptance of its destructive possibilities.
09:14 Number 2 - The Disappearance Of Wesley Crusher
09:17 Wesley Crusher was one of Gene Roddenberry's favorite characters in Star Trek,
09:21 mostly because the character was actually based on an idealized version of himself as a teenager.
09:27 The audience's reaction to Wesley deeply upset Gene.
09:30 At times, due to Wesley being based off of himself,
09:33 he even saw their hate for the character as an attack on him.
09:36 The truth is that most people disliked Wesley simply because he was too perfect.
09:41 During season one of The Next Generation, Wesley was the star of the show,
09:45 constantly saving the ship and beating impossible odds, and never once making a mistake.
09:50 As the series progressed, Wesley appeared less and less before leaving the ship to attend Starfleet Academy,
09:56 then ditched the Federation altogether in the episode "Journey's End"
10:00 to explore space and reality with the Traveler, his mysterious alien mentor.
10:05 He isn't seen after this point until the movie Star Trek Nemesis,
10:08 where he's just sitting in the background during the wedding scene.
10:11 Gene Roddenberry was also annoyed that his self-inserted character was sidelined,
10:15 especially because it wasn't the studio that rejected him, but the fans.
10:20 Number 1 - The Animated Series
10:22 Star Trek The Animated Series was basically created to keep the love of Star Trek alive in the zeitgeist
10:27 long enough for movies to be made.
10:29 The show's actually quite good.
10:31 The storylines are very reminiscent of the original series, though sometimes even grander,
10:36 as the animation format allows the writers to tell any story they want,
10:39 regardless of budget constraints.
10:41 Gene Roddenberry, however, disagreed.
10:44 He famously hated the show because of a few minor story errors,
10:47 but these errors were nothing worse than what was seen on the original series.
10:51 In fact, the Next Generation's ships are way slower than Kirk's Enterprise, for example.
10:56 Despite this, when Roddenberry's office re-obtained the creative license for Star Trek
11:00 at the end of the Next Generation's first season,
11:03 he officially made the Animated Series non-canon.
11:06 According to Gene, it never happened.
11:08 Nowadays, matters are a little more complicated.
11:11 We've seen references to the Animated Series in Deep Space Nine,
11:14 Lower Decks, and other Trek installments,
11:16 and it seems like it's making a return to canon once and for all.
11:20 As David Gerrold, a writer for the Animated Series put it,
11:23 "Arguments about canon are silly.
11:25 I always felt that Star Trek Animated was part of Star Trek
11:28 because Gene Roddenberry accepted the paycheck for it and put his name in the credits."
11:32 And there you have it, 10 times that Gene Roddenberry hated Star Trek.
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11:46 And until next time, live long and prosper.