Barrett Thinks Roddenberry Would Applaud Remastering

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and a recurring character on two of the series, said she believed her late husband would be pleased that the original series is being remastered with new special effects and said that she had no information about the feature film being produced by J.J. Abrams.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Barrett said she thought Roddenberry would "have thought it was terrific that the show was being made to look better because of new technology." It has been well-documented that the original Star Trek's limited effects were because the crew could not afford to do more sophisticated work, and Roddenberry was pleased with developments like improved Klingon makeup in the movies and spinoffs. "Gene did the best work he could at the time, but he was also all about the future," explained Barrett. "He wouldn't have been bothered by [the remastering] at all."

Barrett said she thought it was easy for people to forget now that the show always struggled in the ratings and "we weren't close to being a hit...we went on the air with absolutely no hype." Roddenberry, she added, "knew he had created something special...he put so much of his blood and sweat and tears into that show to make it good."

A perfectionist, Roddenberry was never completely satisfied with the movies or The Next Generation, admitted Barrett. "He knew it was all about the characters, and he'd speak about that. His whole strategy was to avoid doing a show that was just a bunch of special effects loosely connected by bad writing." However, she said, "He was grateful simply to have had the success he did...he was proud of it and never grew tired of the concept."

The only regret Barrett expressed about her marriage and collaboration with Roddenberry was that "it just didn't go on long enough...our life together was wonderful." She has not spoken to Abrams about his plans for the next Star Trek movie, but she said, "I imagine that once a movie gets a 'go' from the studio, I'll find out more. What's nice is you know a 'Star Trek' movie is still one that everybody wants."

The full interview is here.

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