How do you feel about Majel Barrett?

I've always liked Majel Barrett in all her roles on Star Trek, but since I joined this community in July, I can't help but notice that some members seem to like "picking on her" or making snide remarks when talking about her involvement.

I'm curious: how do you guys feel about her? Do any of you DISlike her? And if you do, why?

 

I think her husband should have treated her better.

 

I met her on the set of DS9 while she was "pregnant" and thought she was quite stunning for a woman of her age. She was both pleasant and professional. Everyone seemed to enjoy her presence.

 

People here LOVE snide remarks. Can we keep it on topic?

Please?

 

This.

Truth be told I don't consider her to be a particularly good actress. I know people who have encountered her and apparently she is a nice person, but that doesn't make her a good actress.

Number One was unimpressive, as was Nurse Chapel. The only time she stood out above what a random person off the street could have done was in Half a Life.

Without her personal relationship to Roddenberry, we never would have seen her.

 

Feel? I didn't really know her. I think I heard her speak at a con once, Not really enough to have a perception of who she was.

 

Yeah, but see we're not even 10 posts in and already there are snide or mean-spirited remarks about her.

I kinda want to understand why or where it's coming from.

I'm hoping someone can explain it to me because we already have the snide remarks in this, but nobody is explaining their pessimistic attitude about her.

 

I enjoyed her performance as Christine Chapel but wasn't a fan of her other roles (though I was impressed by her performance during "Dark Phage," a very powerful TNG episode); I cringed when she showed up on DS9 and never understood what the writers were trying to do with her and Odo. I suspect they were probably trying to give Mrs. Roddenberry something to do out of respect for her husband, but I think they should have left well enough alone and not used the character again.

--Sran

 

Snide remarks? Which post was that? Cleggs? All he said was he wished Roddenberry had treated her better. Is that snide? T'Girl talked about her acting.

 

I loved her as Lwaxana. She was particularly beautiful and wonderful with Odo. FAR more interesting than her daughter I don't know how people can watch her in that role and say she was a poor actor, sure Nurse Chapel was basically nothing and Number 1 was even more nothing but years later as Lwaxana she shone.

And let's not forget her biggest role, the voice of the ship's computer.

 

I think the "snide remark" refers to

emphasis added

I met her when she was not a convention guest, but working the family's dealer table. She was friendly and happy to meet fans. I don't think she was that good an actress, but when I saw the original Westworld, I didn't realize she was in it until the end credits. At least she got work in other productions when she could.

 

I was wondering that myself. Nothing said was unkind, the consensus so far is that she was a nice person but a poor actor--it could be the other way round, a bad person but a great actor, which would be far worse.

Having never met her I cannot attest as to what kind of person she was, all I can say is that I enjoyed her as Number One, Nurse Chapel, Lwaxana Troi, and the Starfleet Computer. Watching her, she did come across as a very genuine and pleasant woman, the kind of person I wouldn't mind having along for a dinner party to hear her stories.

 

It could be a misunderstanding on my part, but I asked about Majel Barrett and then I got Clegg's response, which I thought was slightly cryptic. So I'm going, "Treated her better? Ok...what the hell does that mean? Could you expand on that? Because it sure as hell doesn't answer my question." I'm asking about Majel Barrett; Clegg's talking about her husband.

 

Gene cheated on her just like he did with his first wife. That's the story I heard anyway.

 

Didn't particularly care for the character Christine Chapel but really do like her cold, emotionless role of Number 1. It could have been interesting if that character was developed to see if the writers would have softened her up. In that role she seemed a hard-ass.

 

Candidly? She's not an uncapable actress, but Nurse Chapel was a thankless role and she (probably) would never have been there if she hadn't been the mistress of the man who made the show.

I think that's what people object to. It isn't the actress herself per se, but more the nepotism that saw her being on the payroll, in spite of any inherent talent or otherwise.

 

It's complex. Obviously it was pretty crappy how she and Gene got together, but in the decades since then she seemed to have showed a true devotion to the fans. Yeah, Gene should have treated her better. Yes, she wasn't a great actress, but I think she was perfect for Lwaxana. I love her as the voice of the computer. Every time I hear it, it warms my heart.

 

I think Clegg answered your question. And given what we know about her marriage it's hardly cryptic.

 

The basic translation goes like this: Majel Barrett deserved more kindness and respect from her husband than she received. How is that being snide or unkind? And the OP never specified "no criticism of Gene Roddenberry."

I've read some fanfic with the character of Number One. It's interesting to see how the fans interpret the character, and it's too bad Ms. Barrett wasn't given a chance to play a similarly competent Starfleet officer who didn't develop an "instant love" for Spock (where did that even come from - they hardly interacted at all before that). I thought she was a hoot as Lwaxana Troi. She was funny in the episodes that called for comedy and quite convincing in the dramatic episodes of both TNG and DS9.

 

I asked about MAJEL BARRETT and why some people seem to dislike her. I didn't ask about Gene Roddenberry, and I didn't ask how you guys felt about Gene's relationship with Majel. I asked about Majel singularly. So I'm sorry, but Clegg's reply made no sense to me.

Me: "How do you feel about Majel?"
Reply: "Her husband should've treated her better."
Me: Oooook. What does that have to do with my question?

Yeah, but again, I asked how you guys feel about MAJEL. I didn't ask how you felt about the way Gene treated Majel. I just asked about Majel. I already know Gene cheated. But that wasn't my question.