CBS' New ‘Star Trek’ Series Boldly Adds Gene Roddenberry’s Son To The Crew
And now they’ve gone an gotten themselves a Roddenberry. Specially,Rod Roddenberry, the son ofStar TrekcreatorGene Roddenberryand current CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, has joined the series as an executive producer. Fine, CBS. I’ll try your goddamn All Access thing. Jesus Christ.
The news of Roddenberry’s hiring was announced over atThe Hollywood Reporter, who also revealed thatTrevor Roth, COO of Roddenberry Entertainment, would be joining the executive producer crew. Here’s Fuller’s statement on the matter:
“Gene Roddenberry, the Great Bird of the Galaxy, left a finely feathered nest for all who love ‘Star Trek’ to enjoy. It is only fitting that Rod Roddenberry and Roddenberry Entertainment join our new Trek adventure to ensure that his father’s legacy of hope for the future and infinite diversity in infinite combinations runs through our tales as Gene Roddenberry intended.”
If nothing else, this is a noble gesture, a stamp of approval from the two guys who have dedicated their careers to safeguarding the Roddenberry legacy. Right now, it’s unclear whether or not they will have a truly active role in the creation of the show or whether this is more of an honorary credit to keep the old school fans happy, but it’s still awfully neat to seeStar Trekkeeping the family together.
Here’s Roddenberry’s statement:
“While I will always be humbled by its legacy and the legions of fans who are its guardians, it’s a genuine honor to be joining a team of imaginative and incredibly capable individuals whose endeavor it is to uphold the tenets ofStar Trek’s legacy while bringing it to audiences in a new era and on a contemporary platform.”
Truthfully, Rod Roddenberry’s credits are few and far between. He worked as a production assistant onStar Trek: The Next Generation,produced the 2011 documentaryTrek Nation, and served as a consulting producer on long running fan seriesStar Trek: New Voyages. Still, his involvement is a nice gesture and evidence that Fuller and CBS are working to recapture some old schoolTrekmagic.
The currently untitled newStar Trekseries is expected to premiere in early 2017.
