The Truth About Why Gene Roddenberry Lost Control of the Star Trek Movies Will Frustrate Every Trekkie Out There

There would be no Star Trek without the vision of creator Gene Roddenberry, who used the television series to look at an idyllic future where peace is the goal, and people of all nationalities and planets come together under an altruistic Federation, all while making subtle (and not so subtle) commentary on contemporary issues like race relations. So when his idea for a follow-up series became Star Trek: The Motion Picture, it only made sense that he would be in control of the franchise on the cinema front as well. And he was. Briefly.

Gene Roddenberry's Work on a Sequel Series Led to 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'

Despite a letter-writing campaign that mirrored the one that succeeded in landing Star Trek: The Original Series a third season, NBC cancelled the series in 1969. The NBC phasers, however, seemed to be set to stun, as the series began enjoying a resurgence driven by local television syndication, a so-called "fourth season" that played out in Star Trek: The Animated Series, conventions, and merchandise sales. With the possession of a cash cow IP, Paramount looked to build on the interest by soliciting a sequel series from Roddenberry, which he delivered as Star Trek: Phase II (which would eventually be retooled as Star Trek: The Next Generation).

Then came 1977, and two little art-house films were released that changed the game: Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Paramount pivoted, with president Michael Eisner pulling the plug on Star Trek: Phase II and announcing on March 28, 1978, that Star Trek would be coming to the big screen, helmed by esteemed director Robert Wise and the entire Star Trek: The Original Series crew returning (even Leonard Nimoy, who "didn't care" for Roddenberry and had to be coerced into joining). The film would be an adaptation of Roddenberry's script for the sequel series' pilot, and writer Harold Livingston was brought in to make it cinema-ready. Livingston's involvement kicked off a series of events that would lead to Roddenberry losing control of the Star Trek movies.

Gene Roddenberry Created Drama During the Making of 'Star Trek: The Motion Picture'

Roddenberry was given the role of executive producer, which posed problems from the start. The film was under a strict deadline, and producing a TV series is a significantly different beast to producing a movie. That said, the film may have hit the finish line sans drama had Roddenberry committed solely to the role and its challenges. But, he didn't. Roddenberry was constantly at odds with Livingston on the script, leading to multiple rewrites. Livingston would write pages, Roddenberry would rework them, Livingston would tear them up and start the cycle again, with the animosity growing to the extent that studio executives had to step in when the pair got into screaming matches over the story's direction.

Those rewrites, combined with issues with the special effects, contributed to the film going well over-budget. However, the film did well enough — pulling in $139 million worldwide — that Paramount was keen for a sequel. They were not, however, keen on the drama and budget issues that plagued the production of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, so Harve Bennett, who promised he could work within a lower budget, was given creative control of the franchise on film. Still, Roddenberry was given the chance to submit a sequel idea, which he did, pitching a time-travel story where the crew went back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.

Paramount didn't bite, however, and gave him the role of executive consultant, a title that did not include creative input into the future of the Star Trek franchise on film. Unhappy with the decision and with the direction of the action-centric Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Roddenberry leaked the death of Spock in the film, per the previously cited Collider (allegedly, that is: producer Robert Sallin claims Roddenberry's assistant Susan Sackett leaked it, while others allege she did at his request). Thankfully, the poignant moment was saved by a last-minute script change from director Nicholas Meyer. Paramount and Roddenberry would patch things up, leading to Roddenberry developing Star Trek: The Next Generation, returning to the franchise in a role that he excelled in.