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Gene Roddenberry was very proud of the universe he created, but also very protective.
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00:00Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek,
00:02was very passionate about the franchise throughout his life.
00:04He constantly advocated for Trek to portray an earnest and optimistic future for humanity,
00:09one that mirrored his own hopes for a better tomorrow.
00:12While most of the time the writers and other creative people working on Trek
00:15tried their best to follow Gene's utopian vision,
00:18there were times where it was simply just too restrictive to the story.
00:22Gene wanted to have no main characters fighting with each other,
00:25no storylines involving technology being used as a villain,
00:28no reoccurring aliens or themes,
00:30and plenty of other things that, if followed, would have honestly ruined Star Trek.
00:35Of course, Gene's optimism is still respected by creators of Trek today,
00:38but in a way that's much more realistic than Gene originally intended.
00:42Some fans criticize modern Trek for not following Gene's guidelines
00:46as precisely as the original series or the next generation,
00:49but it should be said that some of the greatest moments in Trek history
00:52were strongly opposed by Mr. Roddenberry.
00:55With all that being said, I'm Bree from Trek culture,
00:58and here are 10 times that Gene Roddenberry hated Star Trek.
01:01Number 10. Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan
01:04It may come as a surprise to many Trek fans that one of the most beloved movies in the franchise,
01:09Star Trek II The Wrath of Khan, was actually disliked by Roddenberry for many reasons.
01:14Although the motion picture made money, it was received poorly by critics and general audiences,
01:19most people finding it a bit too boring and pretentious.
01:22Some even going as far as to dub it the motionless picture.
01:26It became clear to the studio that in order to reinvigorate Star Trek,
01:30they would need to go in a radically different direction for the next film.
01:33They took a lot of Gene's creative control away,
01:35instead letting Harve Bennett take the lead for the new script.
01:38Roddenberry was, of course, upset with having his control taken away,
01:42though his biggest issue with the film was the supposed militarization of Starfleet.
01:47He hated the violence in the film and thought that the Genesis device was a ridiculous idea.
01:53Whether or not he was right, today The Wrath of Khan is regarded as one of Trek's best stories.
01:58The introduction of a strong villain, a classic from the original series no less,
02:02showed that Trek can be exciting and fun while still staying smart.
02:07Number 9. Family The Next Generation episode Family
02:10directly follows the best of both worlds.
02:13The iconic two-parter episode where Captain Picard got assimilated by the Borg
02:17and turned into Locutus, destroying countless Starfleet ships at the Battle of War 359,
02:22before finally having his humanity restored at the end of the episode.
02:26In Family, Picard returns to Earth with the Enterprise to visit his family
02:29and recover from the trauma of being assimilated.
02:32Roddenberry was strongly against this script,
02:34wanting instead to keep the story self-contained in each episode.
02:37Apparently, Gene would rather have Picard go right back to Boldly Going,
02:41mere days after having the very essence of his individuality taken from him and being forced to
02:47kill thousands. However, his main criticism for the script was the way that Picard's upbringing was
02:52portrayed and the hostility between him and his brother. He argued that siblings would simply not
02:57argue and fight like that in the 24th century, which anyone who has siblings I'm pretty sure would
03:02disagree with. Family would eventually be recognized as one of the most emotional storylines for Picard,
03:08giving his character more depth. It also helps audiences recover after the best of both worlds
03:13and makes it a little more believable for Picard to return to work in the next episode.
03:188. The Original Series Crossover on The Next Generation
03:21Strangely, Gene Roddenberry didn't want any classic characters from the original series to
03:26return in The Next Generation. His reason for this, as stated in the official Star Trek Bible he wrote,
03:31is that he wanted the newest Star Trek show to stand apart from the original as something new and
03:36different. This was a noble goal. Roddenberry was committed to not letting the franchise go stale,
03:41constantly evolving it to be grander and more modern. This is something that shows like Discovery,
03:46Lower Decks and Picard are continuing to this day. However, every now and then, a cameo from another
03:53series in the franchise can be fun to see. It helps the universe feel truly connected and real.
03:58Roddenberry was originally very adamant against crossovers, but caved and allowed for DeForest Kelly to make an
04:04appearance as Dr. McCoy in The Next Generation pilot to tour the Enterprise D. Eventually,
04:09Star Trek became more comfortable with crossovers and during Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and other
04:14following shows, became a deeply connected universe.
04:177. Star Trek III The Search For Spock
04:20Nowadays, there have been so many ships called Enterprise in Star Trek that it's hard to keep
04:24track. But this wasn't always going to be the case. Gene Roddenberry had a strong emotional connection to the
04:30original Enterprise and was heartbroken when it was destroyed in Star Trek III The Search For Spock.
04:35Harve Bennett, another main creative head on Star Trek at the time, knew audiences would appreciate the
04:40shock ending of having the Enterprise self-destruct to save the day. Roddenberry, however, believed the
04:46destruction of the Enterprise was symbolic of Bennett trying to take creative control over Star Trek and
04:51change it to fit his own vision. Roddenberry eventually caved in when it was decided a new
04:55Enterprise, the Enterprise A, would be constructed to replace the original. Previously, the plan was to
05:00do away with the name Enterprise forever and have the Excelsior be the main hero ship of the franchise.
05:066. The Removal Of Number One
05:09The pilot episode of Star Trek The Original Series, The Cage, featured an entirely different cast apart
05:15from Spock. Among them playing the first officer number one was Majel Barrett, the partner and future
05:20wife of Gene Roddenberry. Gene wanted to give Barrett a lead role in Star Trek, but when the studio
05:24watched The Cage, although they were intrigued by the premise of the show, they hated the cast,
05:30particularly two of the lead characters, Spock and Number One. Gene eventually convinced them to keep
05:35Spock, but all other characters had to be replaced. Barrett lost the role of first officer, but appeared
05:41in future episodes of the original series wearing a blonde wig, playing Nurse Chapel. Eventually,
05:46during The Next Generation, Barrett went on to voice a number of computers on the show,
05:50as well as the fan-favorite character Loxana Troi. And of course, we also have Strange New Worlds,
05:55the show based around the adventures of the original crew from The Cage, including Number One,
06:00now portrayed by Rebecca Romijn. So, although Gene was annoyed by Barrett's exclusion, she eventually
06:06got to solidify her place in Trek in other ways, and her character Number One is finally getting the
06:11spotlight in Strange New Worlds. 5. Star Trek V The Final Frontier
06:16Star Trek V The Final Frontier is regarded by many fans as the worst movie in the franchise,
06:21but one of its most vocal haters was Gene Roddenberry himself. Gene even prepared to take legal action
06:27against William Shatner, the director of the film, for abusing his creation and slapping the name Gene
06:32Roddenberry on it. The case never materialized, but it did cause a lot of drama behind the scenes.
06:38Shatner and Roddenberry didn't talk much, if at all, during the production of the movie. But when
06:42Roddenberry learned about the plot, he became irritated, believing that Shatner was ripping
06:47off an old movie he was working on, but never finished, called The God Thing. The script had
06:52somewhat similar religious themes of The Final Frontier, and Roddenberry was under the impression
06:56that Shatner was stealing the story that he desperately wanted to tell.
07:004. Redemption The Next Generation Season 4 finale,
07:04Redemption, was the 100th episode made for the series, and as such, Roddenberry wanted it to be big.
07:10Redemption continued the Klingon political arc that began earlier in the series. In the episode,
07:15we saw a civil war beginning to brew in the Klingon Empire. The conflict was resolved by the end of
07:20the episode, but Roddenberry was still upset that the 100th episode of The Next Generation featured a
07:25war plot, something he considered too bleak for the show. Ronald D. Moore was responsible for pushing
07:30Redemption into production, despite Gene's wishes, and most fans are glad he did. Moore was responsible for
07:37creating most of the updated Klingon aesthetics, and had a real talent for creating believable alien
07:42cultures. Redemption is just one example of Moore taking the Klingons and fleshing them out to be
07:47more believable. Beyond his typical hatred for violence, Roddenberry also didn't believe that
07:52Worf was strong enough of a character to carry the 100th episode. Fortunately, Redemption, and a few
07:58more episodes, especially in Deep Space Nine, eventually turned Worf into a pretty good lead character.
08:043. Episodes where technology is the enemy While outlining the rules for Star Trek The
08:09Next Generation in his official series Bible, Gene Roddenberry was very clear that he wanted the
08:14writers to avoid portraying technology in a negative way. Roddenberry was very aware that
08:19many people loved Star Trek because it takes place in an optimistic future, one where technology is
08:24humanity's salvation rather than the cause of its demise, as in the case with most other science fiction.
08:30Replicators, transporters, and warp drive turned Earth into a paradise where all people are free
08:36to explore the universe and pursue their passions. However, this advice has been blatantly ignored in
08:42The Next Generation many times. The Borg, for example, are a technological nightmare that serves as a
08:48warning for anyone looking to integrate computers with people's minds. Or, what about the constant
08:54transporter and hologram malfunctions? All technology has a good and bad side. Gene Roddenberry was an
09:00optimist who couldn't imagine why someone would use a replicator to create a gun rather than a
09:05cheeseburger. But eventually, the writers abandoned this guideline altogether, not in fear of new
09:11technology, but in acceptance of its destructive possibilities.
09:142. The Disappearance of Wesley Crusher Wesley Crusher was one of Gene Roddenberry's
09:19favorite characters in Star Trek, mostly because the character was actually based on an idealized
09:24version of himself as a teenager. The audience's reaction to Wesley deeply upset Gene. At times,
09:30due to Wesley being based off of himself, he even saw their hate for the character as an attack on him.
09:36The truth is that most people disliked Wesley simply because he was too perfect. During Season 1 of
09:42the Next Generation, Wesley was the star of the show, constantly saving the ship and beating
09:47impossible odds, and never once making a mistake. As the series progressed, Wesley appeared less and
09:53less before leaving the ship to attend Starfleet Academy, then ditched the Federation altogether in
09:58the episode Journey's End to explore space and reality with the Traveler, his mysterious alien mentor.
10:05He isn't seen after this point until the movie Star Trek Nemesis where he's just sitting in the
10:09background during the wedding scene. Gene Roddenberry was also annoyed that his self-inserted character
10:14was sidelined, especially because it wasn't the studio that rejected him, but the fans.
10:201. The Animated Series
10:22Star Trek The Animated Series was basically created to keep the love of Star Trek alive in the zeitgeist
10:27long enough for movies to be made. The show's actually quite good. The storylines are very reminiscent
10:32of the original series, though sometimes even grander, as the animation format allows the writers to
10:38tell any story they want, regardless of budget constraints. Gene Roddenberry, however, disagreed.
10:44He famously hated the show because of a few minor story errors, but these errors were nothing worse
10:49than what was seen on the original series. In fact, The Next Generation's ships are way slower than
10:54Kirk's Enterprise, for example. Despite this, when Roddenberry's office re-obtained the creative license
11:00for Star Trek at the end of The Next Generation's first season, he officially made the animated series
11:05non-canon. According to Gene, it never happened. Nowadays, matters are a little more complicated.
11:11We've seen references to the animated series in Deep Space Nine, Lower Decks, and other Trek
11:16installments, and it seems like it's making a return to canon once and for all. As David
11:20Gerald, a writer for the animated series put it, arguments about canon are silly. I always felt
11:25that Star Trek Animated was part of Star Trek because Gene Roddenberry accepted the paycheck for
11:30it and put his name in the credits. And there you have it, 10 times that Gene Roddenberry hated Star
11:35Trek. If you want to keep up to date with all of our new releases, make sure you hit that subscribe
11:39button down below and feel free to give us a follow on Twitter at TrekCulture. You can also find me on
11:44Twitter at TrekkieBree and until next time, live long and prosper!
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