Gene Roddenberry
幻游百科,影视科幻的百科全书
| Image:Roddenberry young.jpg | |
| Date of Birth: | August 19, 1921 |
| Place of Birth: | El Paso, Texas, United States |
| Mother: | Caroline Glen Roddenberry |
| Father: | Eugene Edward Roddenberry |
| Date of Death: | October 24, 1991 |
| Image:Gene roddenberry.jpg | |
Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (sometimes referred to as "The Great Bird of the Galaxy") is best known as the creator of the science fiction television series Star Trek, beginning the long running Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry's remains were the first to be launched into Earth's orbit, where they will circle our planet until they burn up while reentering the atmosphere.
尤金·衛斯里·羅登貝瑞（Eugene Wesley Roddenberry, 暱稱Gene Roddenberry）或譯金‧羅丹貝利，生於1921年8月19日，卒於1991年10月24日。美國德州艾爾帕索（El Paso）人，少年時期在美國加州洛杉矶度過。他最廣為人知的身分是科幻電視影集《星舰奇航记》的創造人，也是最早葬於太空的人之一。
目录 |
生平
羅登貝瑞結過兩次婚。跟第一任妻子愛琳·蕾絲洛（Eileen Rexroat，兩人結婚27年）育有兩個小孩——當恩（Dawn），以及之後的達琳（Darleen）。第二任妻子是瑪婕爾·巴瑞特（Majel Barrett），她曾在《星際爭霸戰》中扮演護士克莉絲汀·查培爾（Christine Chapel），《銀河飛龍》裡的「星媽」（Lwaxana Troi），以及三個衍生影集裡的電腦播報聲。他和瑪婕爾育有一子，叫做羅德（Rod）。
羅登貝瑞最早是想跟隨父親的腳步，進入警校唸了3年的書。之後他的學術興趣轉向航空工程學，並且考試合格獲得了飛行執照。1941年，羅登貝瑞進入美國空軍服役，擔任戰機飛行員。
退役之後，他進入泛美航空擔任客機駕駛員。在1949年與1956年間，他在洛杉磯警察局工作。在《星際爭霸戰》之前，他曾為1950年代許多廣受歡迎的電視影集寫了不少劇本，像是《Have Gun, Will Travel》等等。他也曾試著創造一些其他的科幻影集，不過大多都沒有成功。
在《星際爭霸戰》下檔之後，羅登貝瑞試著推銷四個科幻電視影集（《The Questor Tapes》、《創世紀2》（Genesis II）、《行星地球》（Planet Earth）、以及《奇異新世界》（Strange New World）等等）的概念並拍攝了試播影片，不過都未被採納。他也執導了一部迷你劇情片《幽靈》（Spectre）。
在1970年代末期，羅登貝瑞在美國各地的大學演講。他用許多《星際爭霸戰》幕後的花絮和趣事來娛樂聽眾，並談論他對未來的願景，也展示了所謂的「星艦卷軸」（Star Trek Blooper Reel），就是一些《星際爭霸戰》被刪除場景的集合。影迷們熱情地用「銀河巨鳥」（The Great Bird of the Galaxy）這個暱稱稱呼他，這個暱稱是來自《星際爭霸戰》某一集裡參考到的神話生物。
《星際爭霸戰》一共製播了三季。雖然它因為收視率太低而下檔，不過影集因為重播而變得大受歡迎。《星際爭霸戰》的一集地球任務（Assignment: Earth）原本是要做為另一部衍生影集的試播章節，不過卻未能實現。1975年開始，派拉蒙准許羅登貝瑞繼續進行《星際爭霸戰》續集的製作工作，打算儘可能地找回原來的演員陣容。這個影集原本預定成為一個新成立電視網的王牌影集，不過隨後派拉蒙廢棄了這個電視網的計畫，變成拍攝一部星艦奇航記劇情片。影迷對於這部電影《星舰迷航记》的反應並沒有太熱烈，然而，在1980年代仍然陸續拍攝了幾部電影，以及一個新的電視影集《銀河飛龍》。羅登貝瑞在催生及製作《銀河飛龍》時花了很大的心力，不過由於健康惡化，在第二、三季也慢慢淡出。《星際爭霸戰》後來還有幾部衍生影集，包括《銀河前哨》、《重返地球》、以及《星艦前傳》等。
羅登貝瑞只製作了第一部星艦奇航記電影《星艦迷航記》。由於製作費用超支，以及和派拉蒙管理階層的溝通問題，羅登貝瑞的工作被哈維·班奈特（Harve Bennett）取代。他繼續擔任後續四部電影的執行顧問：《星戰大怒吼》、《石破天驚》、《搶救未來》、以及《終極先鋒》。最後一部以《星際爭霸戰》為背景的電影《邁入未來》是為了紀念羅登貝瑞而拍攝的。根據報導，他在過世前幾天曾經看過試映。
影集劇本作者指控，他們的一些想法在被羅登貝瑞接受之後就變成他自己的，或者說是他在星艦影友會上談到他們對於影集的貢獻時說謊。羅登貝瑞跟這些作者當面對質，也向他們道了歉。不過根據評論他的人說，他還是繼續重申這些虛偽的聲明。Template:Ref根據在《星際爭霸戰》裡扮演烏蘇拉的女演員妮雪兒·尼柯斯（Nichelle Nichols）在她的自傳中寫到，有報導說她曾經和吉恩·羅登貝瑞有過一段情。她覺得他強力且具爭議性要求讓她在影集中演出的傾向，對於他們之間的關係有些影響。
羅登貝瑞的生活和工作被適當地記載在傳記作品《Inside Trek: My Secret Life with Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry》之中，這本書是由跟他共事17年的蘇珊·沙其特（Susan Sackett）所撰寫。不過評論他的人認為這本書不是很精確。
僅管在他生命末期，他已經很少插手《星艦奇航記》的管理工作，派拉蒙影業公司（許多《星艦奇航記》系列影集的擁有者）仍給予他足夠的尊敬。派拉蒙同意了羅登貝瑞的請求，將《動畫版》從官方正史中移除。根據《星艦奇航記編年史》（The Star Trek Chronology）這本參考書中所記載的，根據報導，羅登貝瑞也認為第五部和第六部電影裡面的某些元素是杜撰的，不過似乎沒有任何他想把它們從正史中移除的跡象。
吉恩·羅登貝瑞是一個世俗人道主義者Template:Ref。在他過世之後，他的骨灰裝入一個脣膏大小的膠囊，送入太空，足以環繞地球軌道六年（之後會焚毀在地球的大氣層裡）。有一顆叫做羅登貝瑞4659號的小行星，以及火星上的一道衝擊火山坑都用他的名字來為它們命名。
在他1991年過世之後，羅登貝瑞的遺產用來創造了兩個長期運作的電視影集，它們是根據他之前沒有製播的故事計畫和概念而誕生的。《地球：最後衝突》（Earth: Final Conflict）與《Andromeda》在瑪婕爾·巴瑞特的指導下面世了。不過實際上的啟發，至少就《Andromeda》來看，似乎實際上非常細微。羅登貝瑞的第三個故事線在1995年變成了一部短命的漫畫書，名字叫做《吉恩·羅登貝瑞之失落的宇宙》（Gene Roddenberry's Lost Universe）。
註解
- Template:Note 資料來源請參考Joel Engel所著《Gene Roddenberry: The Myth and the Man Behind Star Trek》；《星際爭霸戰》製作人鮑伯·傑斯特曼（Bob Justman）寫的書；《星際爭霸戰》劇本作者桃樂絲·方塔那（Dorothy C. Fontana）在科幻影集影友會中的談話；以及哈蘭·艾利森（Harlan Ellison）寫的書和文章。
- Template:Note 《人道主義者》雙月刊1991年三月號的專訪。
外部連接
History
Early Life
Roddenberry was born in El Paso, Texas, on August 19, 1921, and spent his childhood in the city of Los Angeles. He studied three years of policemanship and then transferred his academic interest to aeronautical engineering and qualified for a pilot's license. He volunteered for the United States Army Air Corps, and was ordered into training as a flying cadet when the United States entered the Second World War in 1941.
Ordered to the South Pacific, Second Lieutenant Roddenberry flew missions against enemy strongholds there. In all, he took part in approximately 89 missions and sorties. He was decorated with the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal.
It was in the South Pacific where he first began writing. He sold stories to flying magazines, and later poetry to publications, including The New York Times. When the war ended, he joined the Pan American World Airways. During this time, he also studied literature at the Columbia University.
Television
He continued flying until he saw television for the first time. Correctly estimating television's future, he realized this new medium would need writers. He acted immediately, leaving his flying career behind, and went to Hollywood, only to find television industry still in its infancy, with few openings for inexperienced writers.
Roddenberry joined the Los Angeles Police Department. While working his way up the LAPD ranks, he had sold scripts to shows as Goodyear Theatre, The Kaiser Aluminum Hour, Four Star Theater, Dragnet, The Jane Wyman Theater, and Naked City. Established as a writer, Sergeant Roddenberry turned in his badge and became a freelancer.
Star Trek
Star Trek followed in the mid-1960s. The first pilot was rejected by the network, pronounced "too cerebral". Once on the air, however, Star Trek developed a loyal following. Influenced by a fan write-in campaign, NASA even named its prototype space shuttle Enterprise, after the name of Captain Kirk's beloved starship.
After the Star Trek series ended, Roddenberry produced several motion pictures, and also made a number of pilots for television. Roddenberry served as a member of the Writers Guild Executive Council and as a Governor of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. He held three honorary doctorate degrees: Doctor of Humane Letters from Emerson College (1977), Doctor of Literature from Union College in Los Angeles, and Doctor of Science from Clarkson University in Potsdam, New York (1981).
The Series That Never Was
By June 1977, Star Trek was to become a television series again, after the success of the original Star Trek. Paramount attempted to launch a new series, tentatively titled Star Trek: Phase II. Construction on the sets started in July, and the writers' and directors' guide was published in August. The original cast, except for Leonard Nimoy, returned to reprise their roles, along with several new characters, such as Lt. Xon, who would be taking Spock's place, first officer Willard Decker, and navigator Lt. Ilia.
As work was being finished on the sets and costumes, Paramount abandoned the plans. Probably influenced by the success of Star Wars, they decided to turn the television series into Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
The Next Generation
In September 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation continued the legend that Roddenberry began 25 years prior with Star Trek, the original series. This new show offered Roddenberry the technical possibilities and the budget to realize his vision. Never would a science fiction series become so popular.
Legacy
On October 24, 1991, Gene Roddenberry passed away. At the time of his passing, Roddenberry was survived by his wife Majel Barrett (who featured as Nurse Chapel on Star Trek, Lwaxana Troi and the Enterprise-D's computer voice on Star Trek: The Next Generation) and their son, Gene Roddenberry, Jr., his two grown daughters from a previous marriage, and two grandchildren.
The legacy of Star Trek, as created by Gene Roddenberry, continued to grow as the newest series, Star Trek: Enterprise, joined Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Star Trek: The Next Generation evolved into a feature film series, debuting in 1994 with Star Trek: Generations. Roddenberry is often affectionately referred to as the "Great Bird of the Galaxy."
Other shows of Roddenberry's design include Andromeda and Earth: Final Conflict.
Trivia
- Gene Roddenberry had a second cousin twice removed named Mary Sue Roddenberry. Ironically, the widespread fan fiction term "Mary Sue", which is used to describe overly perfect original female characters, has its origins in the person of Lt. Mary Sue, a character in the satirical 1974 short Star Trek story by Paula Smith called "A Trekkie's Tale".
- Roddenberry gave his middle name to one of the characters of Star Trek: The Next Generation – Wesley Crusher. His middle name was also used as the last name of the TOS character Robert Wesley.
Credits
- Star Trek: The Original Series (1966-1969)
- "The Cage" (story, 1964)
- "Mudd's Women" (story, 1966)
- "Charlie X" (story, 1966)
Roddenberry also portrayed the comm voice of the galley chief in this episode in an uncredited cameo. - "The Menagerie, Part I" (story, 1966)
- "The Menagerie, Part II" (story, 1966)
- "The Return of the Archons" (story, 1967)
- "Bread and Circuses" (story, 1967)
- "A Private Little War" (teleplay, 1968)
- "The Omega Glory" (story, 1968)
- "Assignment: Earth" (story, 1968)
- "The Savage Curtain" (story, 1969)
- "Turnabout Intruder" (story, 1969)
- Star Trek: The Animated Series (1972-1973)
- (To be listed)
- Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1989)
- "Encounter at Farpoint" (story, 1987)
- "Hide and Q" (teleplay, 1987)
- "Datalore" (teleplay, 1988)
Roddenberry also receives creator credit on all episodes of TNG, DS9, VOY, and ENT, all the movies, many Star Trek computer games such as the Elite Force series and Star Trek: Bridge Commander, and much fanon material, via the phrase "Based upon Star Trek, created by Gene Roddenberry".
Roddenberry also receives credit for writing lyrics to the TOS main title theme. These lyrics were never recorded. In the book "Inside Star Trek: The Real Story," Herb Solow and Robert Justman allege that Roddenberry, who had no musical experience of any kind, wrote words to Alexander Courage's theme for the show solely to acrue royalties that were required to be paid to the lyricist. In doing so, he effectively cut Courage's royalties in half, as the composer would otherwise have received all royalties accruing from the theme.
