Gene Roddenberry was an American screenwriter and producer known for his work in the Star Trek franchises during its earlier stages. Although Roddenberry has several other projects to his name, his fame and acclaim grew with the franchise.
When Star Trek wanted a Phase II, the producers didn’t want to work with an unknown person. Well, that’s when they approached Roddenberry to write the script however, he refused the opportunity and he had a very valid reason to do so.
Gene Roddenberry Rejected Star Trek Phase II
Star Trek: The Original Series ended its run in 1969. Writer Gene Roddenberry thought to continue the franchise and take it in a better direction with Phase II of the franchise.
The production of Phase II started in 1977, and the eventual 1979 film Star Trek: The Motion Picture was the end result. Although the film received mixed reviews, it wasn’t what the producers were hoping for. As a result, Gene Roddenberry was fired.
As time went on, the franchise wanted to make a Star Trek series. However, they did not want to hire any writer unfamiliar with the lore. Hence, they approached Gene Roddenberry. In the 2016 book The Fifty-Year Mission (via GeekyTyrant), Roddenberry revealed that he simply wasn’t interested.
When Paramount originally approached me to do a new series, I turned them down. I did not want to devote the tremendous amount of time necessary to produce another show. There is only one way I know to write and produce, and that is to throw my energy at the project all the time.
He further continued,
So when they began to think about a second series, I said I would not do it. When I turned them down, Paramount had someone else work on a new ‘Star Trek.’ It had a Vulcan captain and a lot of space cadets who seemed to mainly say, ‘Gee whiz, Captain.’
Well, that’s not all. The series that Gene Roddenberry is referencing here went on to be known as Star Trek: The Next Generation, starring Sir Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.
However, when Roddenberry refused, Paramount hired two writers who didn’t care about the franchise. The screenwriter further revealed that it was his care for the franchise that forced him to return.
Gene Roddenberry Returned To The Star Trek Franchise
Well, after hiring two writers who didn’t care for the franchise, Paramount decided to fire them. It was then when Gene Roddenberry decided to return, that Phase II had begun to take shape.
As his talks further continued, the screenwriter revealed that he returned to the franchise for a simple reason. It was his anger as he was quoted saying “I really feared doing it until I got angry enough to try”. Star Trek archivist Richard Arnold also revealed that Roddenberry threatened legal action if the franchise continued without him!
Someone said … that you couldn’t get lightning to strike twice in the same place, to which Gene responded, “Damnit, I could!” He walked out of that meeting having agreed to produce a new ‘Star Trek’ series’ said Richard Arnold
In the end, Gene Roddenberry became the creator of an iconic 1987 series titled Star Trek: The Next Generation. The series featured veteran actor Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard alongside a stellar cast of actors.
Star Trek: The Next Generation ran for 7 seasons before concluding in 1994. The show received a rating of 8.7/10 on IMDB and a whopping 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
