Majel Roddenberry, 'First Lady of Star Trek,' dies

Source: Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) -- Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, has died. She was 76. Roddenberry, an actress who appeared in numerous "Star Trek" TV shows and movies, died Thursday of leukemia at her home in Bel-Air, Calif., her representative said.

At Roddenberry's side were family friends and her only son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr. Gene Roddenberry died in 1991.

Her romance with Roddenberry earned her the title "The First Lady of Star Trek." A fixture in the "Star Trek" franchise, her roles included Nurse Christine Chapel in the original "Star Trek," Lwaxana Troi in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and the voice of the USS Enterprise computer in almost every spin-off of the 1966 cult series. She recently reprised the voice role in the upcoming "Star Trek" film directed by J.J. Abrams.

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Very sad. Liked her a lot in all her roles. Great sense of humor.

Hope she passed easily.

Any other computer voice will just sound wrong.

rip, majel, and thanks for the memories.

Rest in Peace, Mrs. Roddenberry.

"computer end program" as the doors close on a truly amazing life and talent.

She did have a lovely voice that sounded just right for ST.

Condolences to her family. She seems to have been a great lady.

Lwaxana had been given the power of the Q, and when doublecrossed by Q, she chased him down the corridor with a chain saw. A bystander beseeches Worf, as security chief, to do something.

"I could sell tickets."

Rest peacefully gentle, funny lady.

The audio book by Majel and John DeLancie is awesome.

dressed her. She looked like an empress all the time. Really magnificent woman. And evidently she put up with a lot from her charming, outrageously creative but roguish spouse. A MOST intriguing and perhaps somewhat illogical marriage. Wow. I'm glad she took part in the upcoming Star Trek movie. Seems fitting somehow.

Since her first appearance, Lwaxana Troi has by far been my favorite acting role of any time. But then, I've always had a weak spot for "Auntie Mame" types.

RIP Nurse Chapel O8)

McCoy, Scotty, The Great Bird of the Galaxy and now Christine Chapel.

*sigh*

Say hello to Gene :cry:

Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed".

wouldn't have been the same without her as the computer's voice either. :cry:

I loved her as Luxana Troi!!! Always having the "hots" for Picard.

And I enjoyed her as Nurse Chapel, too - having the "hots" for Spock.

Talented actress who will be missed.

Loved in all the series. Great personality, she will be missed.

and her personality was much closer to Lwaxana Troi's than to Nurse Chapel's! She was a "hellava broad" and will be missed by the fans.

I just read the other day that that she was doing the voice of the computer for the new ST movie. I hope she had a chance to do that before she passed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28300175/

And Majel also voiced the computer of the various starships used throughout all of the TV shows and movies from the sci-fi franchise — she just completed her voiceover work as the voice of the Enterprise in director J.J. Abrams’ reboot of “Star Trek,” due in theaters on May 8, 2009.

from a long time fan of Star Trek.

:grouphug:

Between her and Yeoman Rand, I was in heaven watching the original series.

This is sad news..
She will be missed!!

She was one of the great links between the different series.

Funny how "Trek" is called a "cult series". You never see "CSI" or "Dallas" called that....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJfkYjrbPS4&feature=related

K&R

She's flying with the Great Bird now. I've met her twice. The first time was at a con after the first season of "Earth: Final Conflict". We were telling her how much we liked it, and she warned us that there were changes that we wouldn't like coming up. She was very bitter about how that show and "Andromeda" were treated by Tribune. The second was at the 40th Anniversary. She wasn't looking good then. I'm surprised that she lasted this long.

No doubt a major part of the Star Trek franchise. Could have been a greater feminist pioneer too, but her 1st officer character didn't make it past the pilot episode and was demoted to Nurse Chapel and they gave the senior officer parts all to male roles. We had to wait until the 90's for Voyager to have a female captain. Never less a great actress who brought lots of charisma to the shows and kept Gene Roddenberry's vision of a utopian progressive future for humankind.

:cry: :patriot:

She and Gene are back together and that's gotta be a wonderful scene!

I grew up on Star Trek!

:cry:


Sonia

I think I'll try to watch a bunch of old episodes this weekend.

So so sorry to hear this. :cry:

She also did many of the "extra characters" voices in the animated Star Trek series 1973 - 1974, due to the shoe-string budget that D.C. (Dorothy) Fontana had to work with on NBC trying to produce the series.

R.I.P. Majel.

My brother and I were young teens, and we watched "Hogan's Heroes" instead.

Fools we were.

Since I was older, we usually watched Star Trek.

:evilgrin:

I feel like punching my younger brother in the arm, though, at this festive time of year.

Of course, I always feel like that at Christmas. If you see yours this season, hit him or give him a noogie on behalf of older brothers everywhere.

played by Mark Lenard Died November 22, 1996 age 72

who is in your picture played by Jane Wyatt who died October 20, 2006, and who had reached the incredible age of 96.

I feel old, though. But Star Trek is forever young.

:cry:

we lost no one for very many years after the original series ended. You can't say that about most 60's TV series.

Live long and prosper, survivors!

Your soul is free now, free to explore the heavens and to reunite with Gene.

We'll miss you.

rip!

She was just wonderful - maybe it was just good acting but she always seemed like a lady who would be a lot of fun to hang out with. :(

I didn't even know she was Mrs. Gene Roddenberry.

RIP. O8)

Yup, I'm that old. SF fan all my life.
Yet I learned how to wince at Bill Shatner's over the top overacting. Yikes.
I still enjoyed the episodes. Bill's style eventually grew on you.

I had heard the computer voice was Majel Roddenberry's.
And thought that very cool indeed.

Ah, them were the days. They just don't make em like that anymore.
(everybody's getting too old to make em like that! hey!)
I'm look forward to the new Star Trek movie. I'll think of
Majel Roddenberry when I hear the computer.

Come to think of it, She probably owned all the star trek copyrights! OMG.
We owe her a lot!

May you Rest in Peace, Majel Roddenberry.
And thank you from a true fan.

"They will continue the voyages we have begun and journey to all the undiscovered countries boldy going where no man, where no one...has gone before."

How sad. Loved her as Lwaxana Troi... ST just won't be the same without her.

The first "number one" with her dark hair and tall stature. She would have towered over Kirk eventually, but in the pilot of Star Trek it was Pike, wasn't it?

Anyway...

Majel was ahead of her time, cause she would have made that character as famous as Spock made his.

I'm so glad the voice is in the new movie!

I love and will always love Star Trek. It gives me hope. :loveya:

a major character but the suits upstairs wanted the characters to be shown smoking, Roddenberry balked and the price her character was eliminated. He remarked with irony how NBC years later, bragged that Star trek was the first TV show where the characters didn't smoke.

Network executives.... I think the suits upstairs should be as extinct as high button shoes...

She kept Gene's memory alive for so long after his death, and was a part of those stories herself. I'll miss her.

I got her autograph and Buzz Aldrin's on the cover of my conference booklet. Both she and Gene were strong supporters of space exploration. Gene, Majel and Nichelle Nichols showed up at the ISDC when it was held in LA sometime in 1989. Majel was on the National Space Society's Board of Governors and continued to attend Space Development Conferences.

Fare Thee Well, Lady:cry:

I hope there's a happy reunion Somewhere Beyond the Stars with Majel, Gene, Jimmy Doohan and De Kelley.

She has been a gift to so many. RIP, Majel.

The Professor

....and what are you doing for dinner?


Very, very sad news. We'll miss you, Majel.

Nurse Chapel and especially Lwaxana on ST:TNG, but she reprised that role on DS9, too. And probably more. I would love to watch all the TV Trek episodes in which she was featured, and would buy that DVD in a minute.

You will be greatly missed. :cry:

They can never replace the original

I loved Majel in all her roles, but especially as Lwaxana.

Great characters make great shows, books, movies or whatever, Luxwana Troi was a great character, unforgettable.

:cry:

I loved her. RIP, Majel. I'm sure Gene is happy to have you with him again.

And thank you for all the fun voyages you and your husband took us on. May you meet again on the USS Paradise.

the voice of modern trek

:cry:

Maybe her spirit will continue.

:cry:

We will miss you.
You will always be remembered as the voice of the computer on just about every Star Trek episode ever made.

faygokid

How sad, so verry sad that she is dead.. I allways enyoy her when she was on Star Trek TNG. She was allways a nice counter acter to Picard, who was allmoust the opposite of Lwaxana Troi;).. And the brittish accent of Picard, compared to the accent who Lwaxana Troi had, was making it better....

But, this is after all, what is the meaning of life.. When you are born, you are verry sure to die to.. A rather sad part of life I guess

But it she the woice in all the spinn of since The Origian Series??.. Okay, that is something I don't know about before now.

Most she, and Gene where they are now live in peace and prosperity, and I do hope their legacy, the Star Trek universe is to live long and prosper for a long time... I for one would love to se the next Star Trek movie when it came out.. If I have the money to do it then..

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

I think we have exchanged that before. Not much for the lutefisk here, but love that pickled herring.

And I shall miss her as well.

faygokid

We have spoken and exchanged God jul og ett godt nyttår before;). Lutefisk is a dish for the specially interested that is true. Even that it is pretty good, when made the right way.. But if you are un lucy, the fish dish would be rather bad... But it exist a lot of other dishes, who are good at Christmastimes:)

True pickled Herring is good.. Even that I like other dishes better than that..

Yes I guess many of uss would miss her, and many other star trek characters as they age and die.. But that is just something who is fact of live I guess

Diclotican

Sorry my bad english, not my native language

great actress

I've enjoyed her work on Star Trek: The New Generation as Deanna Troi's mother. And, she was very instrumental on TNG: the original series as well. I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that she rests in peace after such a tough battle with cancer.

I will miss her terribly.

We will miss you!

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who died of a stroke not too long after the original series happened in 1969.

The commanding officers of the initial pilot episode "The Cage" are now way up in the sky now!

she will be greatly missed.

Especially since it was something of a stealth eulogy to Gene Roddenberry; the character was talking about Turhan, but it was obvious who the actress (and, let's be fair, the writer) were referring to.

I met her once at a con; she was a hoot off-camera too. Someone asked her if she had any say creatively in the various Star Trekseseses. She said, "Pah! If I had any creative input in them my name would be in the credits for every one!" It took a second or two for people to get it, then they all broke up.

You brought many hours of laughter to me.

...at a Star Trek convention. John DeLancie was there as well, and they read a scene together from "Q-in-Law." Both were very much like their respective characters, in person. Lwaxana was definitely Majel's signature character!

She also spoke out for women's rights and pro-choice, right there on the convention stage. It was a memorable event.

Sad to see the old crew slowly leaving us. :(

:cry:

NT!

One of my all-time favorite recurring TV characters.

I enjoyed every minute, Majel! Thank you.

:(

-Laelth

She said that when she was a young actress people told her to sleep with the producer to get a good part. She said she had a better idea and married the producer and look at the part she got.