Rod Roddenberry

Rod Roddenberry
Roddenberry in 2017
Born
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Jr.

(1974-02-05) February 5, 1974 (age 50)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Alma materHampshire College
OccupationTelevision producer
Spouse
Heidi Roddenberry
​
(m. 2002)​
Children1
Parents

Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry Jr. (born February 5, 1974)[1] is an American television producer and the chief executive officer of Roddenberry Entertainment. He is the son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett and is an executive producer on Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

Early life

Roddenberry was born in Los Angeles the son of actress Majel Barrett and writer and producer Gene Roddenberry, creator of the American science fiction series Star Trek.[2] Rod went to the John Thomas Dye School in Bel Air and Harvard-Westlake School in North Hollywood[3] and attended Hampshire College in the early 1990s.

Rod Roddenberry was not familiar with Star Trek, having never even watched the show. In 1991, when he was 17 years old, his father died, after which he began to examine Star Trek and discover "what made the series special" to its fans.[4] Rod struggled initially with his father's near-legendary stature among Star Trek fans, saying, "A son cannot identify with a mythical figure; my father was put up on this pedestal throughout my life." However, as he heard many moving stories about his father's flaws and follies, he observed, "That allowed me, as a son, not just to connect with him, but actually love him."[2]

Career

Roddenberry with his wife, Heidi.

In 2001, Rod Roddenberry became chief executive officer of Roddenberry Entertainment, which builds upon his father's work, and develops multimedia science fiction properties including comics, television and film projects.[5]

In mid-2009, the Los Angeles Times reported that Roddenberry approved of the 2009 Star Trek film by J.J Abrams. He opined that the producers and writers "made Star Trek cool again" with the film.[6] In 2010 Roddenberry, an avid scuba diver since 1993, founded the Roddenberry Dive Team "to embark on undersea experiences and discover the diversity beneath the ocean." He leads the dive team in its exploration of underwater worlds and hopes to inspire stewardship of the world's oceans. He has a Divemaster certification, has led or participated in more than 1,000 dives from exotic locations around the world.[2][5]

In October 2011, the Roddenberry Foundation, which was founded by Rod Roddenberry, made its largest gift of $5 million to the J. David Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco to establish the Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine.[2] The Roddenberry Foundation believes that "the center's innovative technology that converts adult skin cells into life-changing stem cells will radically advance the fight against Alzheimer's and heart disease."[7]

Roddenberry began being directly involved in the Star Trek franchise in 2016 when he signed on as an executive producer of the TV series Star Trek: Discovery.[8][9]

Filmography

Year Film/Series Role Notes
1990 Star Trek: The Next Generation Production assistant
1997 Earth: Final Conflict Writer (technical advisor) Produced through his production company, Roddenberry Entertainment
2004–2011 Star Trek: New Voyages Consulting producer Star Trek fan series
2011 Trek Nation Producer and star Documentary chronicling Roddenberry's exploration of his father's work. Includes interviews with fans, Star Trek alumni, and notable celebrities such as George Lucas, J. J. Abrams and Seth MacFarlane.
2012 White Room: 02B3 Executive producer A 15-minute, 360-degree narrative[clarification needed] short film starring Breckin Meyer, Tamlyn Tomita, David Blue and Rachel True
2017–present Star Trek: Discovery Executive producer
2018–2020 Star Trek: Short Treks Executive producer
2020–2023 Star Trek: Picard Executive producer
2020–present Star Trek: Lower Decks Executive producer
2021 Star Trek: Prodigy Executive producer
2022–present Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Executive producer[10]
2022[11] The Roddenberry Archive: The Cage Executive producer Documentary short series with interviews of surviving cast and crew from Star Trek's 1964 pilot episode "The Cage", featuring 3D and filmed recreations of the sets, characters, and events from Star Trek's history.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Barrett". Star Trek. Retrieved November 1, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d Truitt, Brian (November 28, 2011). "Roddenberry put 'Star Trek' light-years ahead". USA Today.
  3. ^ "Where SciFi Begins". Roddenberry.com. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  4. ^ Vakkalanka, Harshnini (July 12, 2012). "Trekking to a new world". The Hindu.
  5. ^ a b Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry (April 23, 2010). "Bios: Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry". Roddenberry.com. Archived from the original on August 13, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2012.
  6. ^ Whitmore, Linda (August 6, 2009). "The Roddenberry stamp of approval". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "Gladstone Institutes Announces Roddenberry Center for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine". Archived from the original on April 5, 2013. Retrieved May 23, 2013.
  8. ^ McMillan, Graeme (March 3, 2016). "CBS' New 'Star Trek' Adds Gene Roddenberry's Son as Exec Producer". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  9. ^ Lincoln, Ross A. (March 3, 2016). "'Star Trek': Rod Roddenberry & Trevor Roth Join CBS Digital Series As EPs". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 3, 2016.
  10. ^ Sperling, Nicole (August 1, 2021). "Can Paramount+ Succeed? One Producer Hopes to Make It So". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved August 5, 2021.
  11. ^ Lay, Roger Jr.; Baena, Carlos (May 3, 2022), The Roddenberry Archive: The Cage (Documentary, Short), Roddenberry Entertainment, OTOY, Roddenberry Entertainment, retrieved October 6, 2022
  12. ^ Donnelly, Matt (May 3, 2022). "Cast and Crew of Original 'Star Trek' Pilot Reunite for Virtual Set Recreation by Otoy". Variety. Retrieved October 6, 2022.