Gene Roddenberry, who once commented, “No one in his right mind gets up in the morning and says, ‘I think I’ll create a phenomenon today,’” is best known as the creator and executive producer of Star Trek, one of the most popular and enduring television series of all time.

A decorated B-17 pilot during World War II, Roddenberry flew commercially for Pan American Airways after the war while taking college writing classes. Hoping to pursue a career writing for the burgeoning television industry, Roddenberry resigned from Pan Am in 1948 and moved his family to California. With few prospects, he followed in his father’s and brother’s footsteps and joined the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), where he served for eight years. During his career as a police officer, the LAPD was actively involved with Jack Webb’s Dragnet series, giving technical advice on props, sets, and story ideas based on actual cases, many of which were submitted by police officers for $100 in compensation. Roddenberry submitted treatments based on stories from friends and colleagues.

Roddenberry’s first professional television work was as technical adviser to Frederick Ziv’s Mr. District Attorney (1954). The series also gave him his first professional writing work. In addition to creating episodes for Mr. District Attorney, Roddenberry also wrote the science fiction tale “The Secret Weapon of 117,” which was broadcast on the syndicated anthology series Chevron Hall of Stars (March 6, 1956). As he gained increasing success in his new career, he decided to resign from the LAPD in 1956 to pursue writing full time.

Roddenberry continued working on Ziv’s new series, The West Point Story (CBS, 1956–57; and ABC, 1957–58), and eventually became the show’s head writer. For the next few years, he turned out scripts for such series as Highway Patrol (syndicated), Have Gun—Will Travel (CBS), Jane Wyman Theater (NBC), Bat Masterson (NBC), Naked City (ABC), Dr. Kildare (NBC), and The Detectives (ABC and NBC). Even at this furious pace, Roddenberry continued to develop ideas for new series.

The first series created and produced by Roddenberry was The Lieutenant (NBC, 1963–64). Set at Camp Pendleton, The Lieutenant examined social questions of the day in a military setting. Coincidentally, the show featured guest performances by three actors who later played a large role in Star Trek: Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy, and Majel Barrett, whom he later married. Casting director Joe D’Agosta and writer Gene L. Coon would also work with Roddenberry on Star Trek.

A lifelong fan of science fiction, Roddenberry developed his idea for Star Trek in 1964. The series was pitched to the major studios and finally found support from Desilu Studios, the production company formed by Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. The original $500,000 pilot received minor support from NBC executives, who later commissioned an unprecedented second pilot. The series premiered on September 8, 1966.

Like The Lieutenant, Star Trek episodes comment on social and political questions in a military (albeit futuristic) setting. Roddenberry described Star Trek as a “Wagon Train to the stars” because, like that popular series, its stories focused on the “individuals who traveled to promote the expansion of our horizons.” Star Trek was the first science fiction series to depict a peaceful future, and Roddenberry often credited the enduring success of the series to the show’s positive message of hope for a better tomorrow. It was also the first series to have a multicultural cast. Star Trek received little notice during its three-year run and was canceled after the third season due to low ratings. However, it gained worldwide success in syndication.

In addition to producing the Star Trek feature films, Roddenberry continued to write and produce for television, but without the same degree of success. His pilot for Assignment: Earth (NBC) was incorporated as an episode of Star Trek (March 29, 1968). Later pilots included Genesis II (CBS, March 23, 1973), The Questor Tapes (NBC, January 23, 1974), Planet Earth (ABC, April 23, 1974), and Spectre (May 21, 1977). Roddenberry also served as executive consultant on an animated Star Trek series (NBC, 1974–75). A second Star Trek series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, premiered as a syndicated series in 1987 and had a successful seven-year run.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was the last series on which Roddenberry had an active role. Since his death in 1991, three new Star Trek series based on Roddenberry’s original concept have been created: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993–99), Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001), and Star Trek: Enterprise (2001– ). Two other science fiction series based on Roddenberry’s earlier writings have also been televised: Earth: Final Conflict (1997–2002) and Andromeda (2000– ).

Known affectionately to Star Trek fans as “the Great Bird of the Galaxy,” Roddenberry was the first television writer to be honored with his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, on September 4, 1985. In 1992, with the permission of Roddenberry’s widow, Majel Barrett, the late producer’s ashes were carried aboard a flight of the space shuttle Columbia. In 1993, Roddenberry was posthumously awarded NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal for his “distinguished service to the nation and the human race in presenting the exploration of space as an exciting frontier and a hope for the future.”