How much creative control did Rodenberry have over "The Motion Picture"?

[Commander Kielbasa]

I happen to be one of those who LOVES TMP. However, the studio came to view TMP as a failed project and seem to lay all of the blame for the film's "failings" at the feet of Gene Roddenberry, and as such basically excluded him almost entirely from all future films.

But my question is, is how much creative control did Roddenberry actually have over TMP? Was it a "George Lucas/Star Wars prequels" type scenario where Roddenberry had full creative control, and thus full accountability, or is it less clear than that and Roddenberry was simply a scapecoat?

I understand that some of Gene's ideas were sometimes "out there", and that he was rather stubborn and difficult at times to work with, so was the perceived failure of TMP simply a convenient excuse for the studio to ditch him, or did he really helm the project and thus was accountable for its (perceived) flaws?

 

[Daddy Todd]

Thus book will answer all your questions about TMP. It's awesome!

https://www.amazon.com/Return-Tomor...1504654868&sr=1-2&keywords=return+to+tomorrow

 

[KirkusOveractus]

It really is something that needs it's own book, like Return to Tomorrow. There were so many workings, reworkings, studio maneuvers, scripts being rejected and rewritten (with some writers quitting!), and Roddenberry was part of some of it.

 

[BillJ]

Thus book will answer all your questions about TMP. It's awesome!

https://www.amazon.com/Return-Tomor...1504654868&sr=1-2&keywords=return+to+tomorrow

A book that definitely needs a digital version. I just don't have room for any more giant books.

 

[GulBahana]

From what I heard in interviews, Roddenberry was blamed by the studio for a lot of the problems with the film and his influence was greatly diminished after that when it came to the features.

 

[KirkusOveractus]

From what I heard in interviews, Roddenberry was blamed by the studio for a lot of the problems with the film and his influence was greatly diminished after that when it came to the features.

From a lot of sources I've read, Roddenberry was quite a bit of the problem with the film, especially in the writing and pre-production. For one, he was intercepting the scripts that had changes Paramount wanted and was rewriting it to what he wanted.