Is Rod Roddenberry kind of a douche?

[Therin of Andor]

RAMA wrote:

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if he had wanted to make money he'd have gotten his name on production credits of something the family name produces.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0734473/

[The Wormhole]

bullethead wrote:

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There's something about his voice and hearing him mention "my dad" a lot that just wears on certain nerves.

It probably feels awkard to hear him talk about "his dad" as though we shouldn't know him, even though everyone knows who his dad is.

[Count Zero]

junxon wrote:

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maybe we should take the question literally and discus whether rod-rod leaves your vagina sparkly-fresh

Or maybe we shouldn't.

[RandyS]

sbk1234 wrote:

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Honestly, my take on that rule is that their lives were so connected to Star Trek that they needed a place to break free of it and explore the other aspects of their lives. Otherwise, I could see how Star Trek could have become even more all encompassing in their lives.
You have to remember, we love Star Trek as our recreation. An escape from real life. For the ROddenberrys, Star Trek was work. It was their daily lives. It seems no different than the doctor who won't discuss medical matters at home.

I was being deliberately facetious.

I thought that was obvious.

Oh well.

[mos6507]

doubleohfive wrote:

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No.

I've met Rod a couple times, and some good friends of mine know him very well. Based on my (admittedly) limited first hand interaction with him and the much more informed opinion of my our mutual friends who do know him much better than I, I would have to say Rod is not a douche at all.

I think maybe a more accurate term would be poseur. In other words, he presents himself as someone with higher credentials than he has. His brand is his name (hence the domain name) and his product is to milk the last vestiges of the Roddenberry empire rather than doing something that he can truly call his own. Doing a documentary about his dad surely is not striking out on your own. It's fine to get that out of his system, but if he wants to hang out with sci-fi nerds and present himself as "important" he should have more to show for himself besides a bunch of anecdotes about growing up.

People should realize that Gene himself never wanted to be limited to just Star Trek. He struggled to find another vehicle in the 70s. He kind of fell back on Trek as Plan B. But at least he tried to branch out. I don't think he would have wanted his son to flog old props for a living. He basically embraced the worst qualities of the Roddenberry family, namely the emphasis on direct merchandising (the Lincoln Enterprises thing) and did not try to think or be creative.

[junxon]

maybe growing up rich then being overshadowed by your father makes it hard to do something worthwhile

[BillJ]

junxon wrote:

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maybe growing up rich then being overshadowed by your father makes it hard to do something worthwhile

Maybe he should use the unearned celebrity for something constructive?

[junxon]

ok, overshadowed + laziness = rod

but still don't think calling him a douche is warranted

[BillJ]

junxon wrote:

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ok, overshadowed + laziness = rod

but still don't think calling him a douche is warranted

He reached douche status for me when he said he was glad his dad cheated on his mom because it made him more human.

[Admiral Buzzkill]

RandyS wrote:

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I don't know if he is or not, nor do I care. But, Majel's rule of "no Star Trek talk in the house" has me wondering about HER.

What the hell kind of rule is THAT??

An attempt at sanity and balance in life.

[RandyS]

My Name Is Legion wrote:

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An attempt at sanity and balance in life.

Read several posts above.

[Anji]

Rod always struck me as a kid who needs to grow up and find out who he is. I actually feel sorry for him because I don't know if he can escape the family name long enough to develop his own identity.

But I like the kid, and if I knew him, I'd try to help him the way I help my own children.

[teacake]

The "kid" is 39 years old.

[RAMA]

Therin of Andor wrote:

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http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0734473/

Um exactly...he didn't need to make the documentary for money.

RAMA

[RAMA]

BillJ wrote:

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He reached douche status for me when he said he was glad his dad cheated on his mom because it made him more human.

He didn't exactly say that...imagine you grew up with someone considered legendary or you only heard good things about them...what if you found out they weren't perfect? He can disapprove and still find it humanizing. Why are you always so black and white about everything??

Junxon:

Rod isn't that unusual in Hollywood...rich people have kids and the kids have access to $, nightlife, the beach and what have you. Frankly, I find it more believable he was disinterested and became interested later on and wanted to explore it.

RAMA