Gene Roddenberry

Name:	Gene Roddenberry
Also Known As:	The Great Bird of the Galaxy
Occupation:	Television: producer, creator, writer
Medium:	Television
Works:	Star Trek, Andromeda, Earth: Final Conflict
Official Website(s):
Fan Website(s):
On Fanlore:	Related pages
	Contents 1 Gallery of Fannish Roddenberry Art; 2 References;
	Contents 1 Gallery of Fannish Roddenberry Art; 2 References;

Gene Roddenberry is best known as the creator of Star Trek.

He is often referred to by fans as "The Great Bird of the Galaxy."

from The Incredible Star Trek Book, tarot card by Donna L. Astin

While Star Trek was on the air, and afterward, Roddenberry was a willing and entertaining convention guest. A few years after Star Trek went off the air (and as it was gaining in popularity through syndication), Roddenberry was going through hard times creatively/financially. He was encouraged to go on lecture tours, talking about Star Trek, showing the blooper reel and original pilot.

Later, when he started working on the Star Trek movies, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, he continued to communicate with fans; dropping hints and even giving interviews to lzs, etc. Because of these frequent chances to see and talk to him, fans felt that they knew him (or at least knew someone who knew him). It could be argued that he shaped fannish ideas of how the showrunner of a genre show should act: how accessible they should be, how friendly to fans, etc. In many ways, Gene Roddenberry's interactions with fans set an example that was often challenging for those who followed. ^[1]

Fandom mourned his death in 1991, and then later the death of his wife, Majel Barrett, in December 2008.