Yes, Roddenberry jumped ship. Solow and Justman's book is pretty clear about this.
While they are definitely two great sources for info on TOS, you have to be a bit careful about the Solow and Justman book. There is, IMHO, a trend towards embellishment in many of the stories and they often do not cite much in the way of specifics. Some of their comments r.e. props, for example, have been a little tough to put in context of what is known with more certainty.
Indeed. Ellison called them on some misinformation they wrote about him in the book. Maybe they fudged other details, as well. In general, however, I tend to believe Solow & Justman more than Roddenberry. They were much more trusted in the industry, where Roddbenberry had a reputation for "exaggeration."
Personally, I take all these accounts with a grain of salt. I am even suspicious of some of Ellison's stories. I try to take all the accounts, mix them together, and try to come up with a general consensus.
I think one of the most believable accounts is Engel's "negative" bio.
Doug
