Eugene Roddenberry
Visions
of distant stars and bizarre planets are his family’s business.
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry Jr., also known as Rod, was born into a family
empire that is adored by legions of devoted fans worldwide.
He is the son of legendary science-fiction creator, Gene Roddenberry,
who’s television series, “Star Trek” and “Earth: Final Conflict,”
changed the face of television. His
father created television series that went beyond just science fiction
entertainment, they were conduits for the transfer of information and
playgrounds for intellectual thought. Gene
Roddenberry not only used the television medium to tell stories of exploration,
but also to convey his views on humanity. Eugene
Roddenberry is definitely his father’s son -- he shares his father’s
passionate views on the world and humanity.
He is a down-to-earth person who truly believes that one day everyone
will peacefully co-exist regardless of race, creed, culture or even planet.
Eugene Roddenberry was born in the television mecca of Los Angeles, California to Gene Roddenberry and Majel Barrett Roddenberry. Eugene’s parents made a conscious effort to keep their son out of the limelight and he was able to have a relatively normal yet privileged childhood without the glare of Hollywood. He attended John Thomas Dye Elementary School in Los Angeles and then went to Harvard-Westlake High School in Studio City, California. During his formative years, Eugene’s interests were more social than academic. However, he soon understood the importance of education and was able to increase his marks as he progressed in his schooling. He eventually enrolled at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. His college career was interrupted towards his final semester because Eugene couldn’t resist the pull of the family business and was offered the opportunity to work on a new series,” Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict,” to be shot in Toronto, Canada. He jumped at the chance to learn about the entertainment industry and to develop his creative juices with some of the most successful producers in the industry.
As
the technical advisor for “Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict”
Eugene's job is to provide advise on how to better merge the “Gene Roddenberry
philosophy” into each story. He is also there to provide useful commentary and suggestions
on continuity and story matter on each and every outline, script and revision
that are generated by the creative writing team.
“Earth:
Final Conflict” is essentially his first serious foray into the entertainment
industry and qualifies as his both worst and most exciting job.
In 1987, Eugene was given his first official job as a production
assistant on “Star Trek: The Next Generation” by no other than his father.
He continued to work as a production assistant over the course of five
summers and a school semester on the set of “Star Trek:
Deep Space Nine.” “At age thirteen, I didn’t realize the opportunity that I
had been given and was unappreciative, however I did eventually learned and
appreciated what I had been given.” he says.
In the future, Eugene hopes to aid in the struggle for a better humanity
through the medium of film/television. Eugene
has the dreams and visions of a better world his father had and it is his wish
to share his father’s philosophy with the world.
“In many ways, I feel humanity has moved ahead one more step in a
positive direction because of my father’s vision. I simply want to keep up the
momentum.”
The
death of his father was a definite turning point in Eugene’s life.
Many years later it has indirectly coincided with his move into the
entertainment industry. He has used
this opportunity to speak to friends and family but also the fans of Star Trek
to learn more about his father and come to terms with the Roddenberry legacy. It has allowed him to gain a better understanding of who his
father was and why he did the things he did.
As Eugene puts it best, “I would not say that at this point in my life
I have gained a complete understanding of my father, however, I don’t think
I’ll ever be able to say that.”
In
the small amount of spare time that Eugene has for himself, he enjoys being at
one with nature, both on land and in the water.
He is an avid mountain biker and scuba diver.
He also has a passion for the martial arts, particularly Ju-Jitsu, and
all its variety of life’s teachings. Eugene’s
best friend is Orion, who is a German Shepherd/Rottweiler mix, and the two are
almost inseparable.
Eugene
is out to continue to convey the dream he now shares with his father.
He hopes that some day all differences can be set aside and all the
creatures on earth and even in the universe, can be united as one. “I’d like
to know that when I pass on, humanity is progressing in a positive direction. Humanity is at its best when it works together for a single
goal.”