Roddenberry involvement in DS9 and Voyager

[retroenzo]

When Deep Space 9 and Voyager were first out, I remember hearing rumours that Roddenberry had okay'ed both ideas late in his life.

DS9 I sort of understand because it would have aired about a year after his death so he might have seen some original plans, but Voyager? That would have been a further two years down the line, round about three years after his death. If Roddenberry had been moved aside for Berman early in TNG's life then I find the rumours hard to believe now.

Is there any truth to these rumours at all? Or was it just studio PR?

 

[Tosk]

As far as I know, zero real involvement. Nothing beyond expressing negative thoughts on the planning of DS9.

 

[Greg Cox]

I've never heard anything about him being involved with DS9 or VOYAGER.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Probably just the usual, "Gene would have loved it!" PR nonsense, to appease fans who don't realise Gene disavowed STV, STVI and much of TOS along with the well-known TAS.

 

[BillJ]

As far as I know, zero real involvement. Nothing beyond expressing negative thoughts on the planning of DS9.

Been a long time, but in The Making of Deep Space Nine, I could swear I remember Berman talking about sharing the basic plans for DS9 with Roddenberry before his death. That Roddenberry approved of the basic idea.

But Gene died in late-October of 1991. Deep Space Nine didn't premiere until January of '93. So he couldn't have been aware of anything more than the base concept. I doubt he knew anything of Voyager, since it didn't premiere until January of '95.

 

[The Wormhole]

If Roddenberry knew anything about DS9 it would have just been "we're planning a new show, it might take place on a space station." He almost certainly knew nothing about Voyager.

 

[Richard Baker]

IIRC Roddenberry was mostly just a figurehead towards the end of TNG. Most I could see is somebody floating a trial balloon about DS-9 to him hoping for a blessing for leverage then leaving his office quickly when they saw the look of horror on his face.

 

[BillJ]

IIRC Roddenberry was mostly just a figurehead towards the end of TNG. Most I could see is somebody floating a trial balloon about DS-9 to him hoping for a blessing for leverage then leaving his office quickly when they saw the look of horror on his face.

Besides being on a space station, not too many themes that TNG hadn't already tackled. Native population with a space God was done in "Justice".

 

[Tenacity]

Roddenberry: "What's the new show about?"

Berman: "Well ... have you seen Babylon Five?"

 

[BillJ]

Roddenberry: "What's the new show about?"

Berman: "Well ... have you seen Babylon Five?"

Must have had a TV in the cremation urn. That is swanky.

Well, that and Babylon 5 didn't premiere until February of '93.

 

[C.E. Evans]

I really don't think it was much more than Berman giving Roddenberry a basic outline of DS9 & some characters and then Roddenberry wishing him good luck.

IMO, VOY was something of a surprise project even for Berman as it was mainly called upon to launch the now defunct UPN network a few years after Roddenberry's passing.

 

[diankra]

AFAIK, Roddenberry's input to DS9 was simply giving a thumbs up to the idea of a spin-off centred on a star base. Not even a space station at that point, as some early work on DS9 had it as a planet-side Starbase 57.

 

[The Wormhole]

IIRC Roddenberry was mostly just a figurehead towards the end of TNG.

As Roddenberry died during the fifth season, he wasn't anything towards the end of TNG.

But yes, as of the third season Roddenberry stepped down from any meaningful responsibilities on TNG and was mostly a figurehead who dropped by the set to chat with the actors each day.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

It can be confusing to pin down what all the actors wanted, but I think this gets down to the essentials:

Tartikoff: I want a series about a father and son in space, based around The Rifleman.
Berman and Piller: Maybe it can be a Star Trek spinoff.
Roddenberry: I like money.
Sirtis: Gene hated it.

Besides being on a space station, not too many themes that TNG hadn't already tackled. Native population with a space God was done in "Justice".

That what episodic television does best: touch on many subjects with great shallowness.

 

[Trek Survivor]

Berman gave Roddenberry a very rough outline for the plan of DS9 (which I think as initially proposed was set on a starbase on a planet, not a station). Roddenberry gave his blessing for Berman to continue to develop it.

Voyager was not even on the radar, Gene never knew about it.

 

[BillJ]

That what episodic television does best: touch on many subjects with great shallowness.

Sure beats being driven to boredom as a subject is beaten to death. Much like the Prophets and the Dominion.

 

[UnknownSample]

No one was talking to Gene about a replacement show for Next Gen, Voyager, when Next Gen was in the first half of its run. The reason for Voyager was that Next Gen ended, and Paramount wanted a starship show. If Berman had known, I believe he said once, he wouldn't have ended Next Gen.

 

[Bad Thoughts]

Sure beats being driven to boredom as a subject is beaten to death. Much like the Prophets and the Dominion.

Like "Data's witless exploration of humanity" (there were topics that TNG beat to death as well, so I tend to think your complaint has more to do with your well-documented attitude toward religion than anything else).

 

[BillJ]

...(there were topics that TNG beat to death as well, so I tend to think your complaint has more to do with your well-documented attitude toward religion than anything else).

Not at all. I tend to think that "Emissary" is the best of the spinoff pilots. But when one beats a story bit to death, don't become surprised when folks become bored. One can be put off by religion, yet still find some stories well done.

 

[suarezguy]

But yes, as of the third season Roddenberry stepped down from any meaningful responsibilities on TNG and was mostly a figurehead who dropped by the set to chat with the actors each day.

Well Piller has claimed that the writers still at least consulted with him on stories and he could have a significant and positive influence on them.