Customer Reviews

Gene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind Star Trek

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Well written and well researched Joel Engel's book on Gene Roddenberry provides a unique glimpse into the man who created the most durable franchise in the history of science fiction. Following Roddenberry from his earliest beginnings in the police force through to his work on "Have Gun Will Travel" and, of course, "Trek". We discover that "the Great Bird of the Galaxy" feared that "Trek" would be seen as a fluke and struggled with creating something comparable throughout his career as a writer. We also learn that Roddenberry could be generous to a fault but also a glory hound taking credit for what others did on "Trek".

Engel's done a pretty thorough job of interviewing both admirers and critics of Roddenberry (and the Harlan Ellison issue with "City on the Edge of Forever" gets revisited although it isn't the sole focus of the book). Many of Roddenberry's peers including Samuel Peeples (who wrote the pivotal "Where No Man Has Gone Before" which sold "Trek" when Roddenberry's pilot "The Cage" failed to garner support because it was thought to be too intellectual)laud Roddenberry for his insight, his ability to see the problems with a script and fix them the first time around while critics like Ellison suggest that he "could barely write". Everybody has their own ax to grind and it's pretty apparent from the interviews.

Engel also documents Roddenberry's descent into drug and alcohol abuse as well as his erratic behavior after the series of strokes that incapacitated him. While Roddenberry might not have been a writer on the level of the best of the day he truly was a visionary that believed and could see his future like no one else. Unfortunately he couldn't be part of it as the typical flaws of human nature controlled his life just as much as any one elses. This book is a nice companion piece to the preening book written in cooperation with Roddenberry and his estate. Engel's book often isn't pretty but it does contain a warts and all portrait of a complex, driven man that wanted recognition for his contribution even if that meant sometimes not recognizing others.

Reading this book knocked Gene Roddenberry off the pedestal that I had put him on for so many years -- and that's why it's such an important book for anyone interested in the history of Star Trek. Basing his research primarily on interviews, firsthand accounts, studio memos and other source materials, author Joel Engels dares to go where no biographer had gone before. He gives Gene credit where credit is due, but does not shrink from reporting the less-than-savory sides of his life, too. The result is a book that, as the title says, explores both the Myth and the man.

It was in this unauthorized bio that I first learned of Roddenberry's lifelong abuse of alcohol and other substances, his deep insecurities about his writing career, the origins of his animosity toward religion, his inappropriate fixation on sex, and the fact that he did not single-handedly create Star Trek. In short, he was a fallible human being with some serious character flaws. But, as the Myth grew, Gene felt that he had to mold his public image into the "Star Trek Creator" that the fans expected him to be. Unfortunately, in the process, he often failed to give credit where credit was due, and ended up alienating many of the actors, writers, and producers who had also contributed to the group effort that became the Star Trek universe.

One of the most interesting chapters in this book is about a project for a film called "The Nine," in which Roddenberry was hired to write a script about a skeptic who was investigating a group of psychics that channeled New-Age type messages from UFO aliens. (No, I'm not making this up -- it's in the book!) As part of the research for this movie, Gene actually attended a spiritualist retreat for a while, and even got a past-life reading about what purported to be his previous incarnations. The script itself was never produced, but one gets the feeling that Gene had his mind stretched a bit on paranormal issues. But, oddly, there is no mention of "The Nine" in the official biography (Star Trek Creator), except to list it as an unproduced script in his writing credits. Which is why, if you are interested in a balanced understanding of the life of Gene Roddenberry, you should read BOTH the authorized version and this one.

I have been a Trekker since the beginning. I have always liked Star Trek in all it's incarnations. I have read everything I could about the stars, the shows, and the creator -- Gene Roddenberry. I am about half way through this book by Joel Engel. I have read other Roddenberry biographies. This one I could have done without. It appears to be biased and sort of a witch hunt. In an effort to make sales, the author appears to look and find everything bad he can about Roddenberry. I can only assume that this approach seemed to have some merit with Mr. Engel. I can not with good conscience reccomend this book to other Star Trek fans. It would tarnish the Great Bird of the Galaxy's reputation too much.