The Gene Roddenberry Project Kickstarter
2 min read
A Kickstarter project by James and Trude Forscher seeks to fund a documentary “exploring the genesis of Star Trek through the personal insight of its creator.”
The documentary will feature Forscher’s interview with Gene Roddenberry, which was recently found after being missing for almost thirty years, and interviews with surviving cast members.
“Back in April 1985, I was fortunate to arrange a filmed interview with him,” said Forscher. “I was producing a show on censorship in Hollywood and had read about the challenges Star Trek faced in its first years on television. A cast member of the original crew called on my behalf, and Roddenberry gave me an interview that explored the genesis of how Star Trek came about. He passionately described the battles he fought with the networks, studios and an intolerant society that made the show a truly groundbreaking event in modern television history.
“Soon after conducting the interview, I was told by my show’s executive producer to cut out the Roddenberry interview. The footage went back in my vault and sat there for nearly thirty years. In 2012, after a thorough organization of my film collection, I found several incorrectly marked boxes that contained the Gene Roddenberry interview.”
The Kickstarter seeks to raise $15,000, which will enable Forscher to “create a documentary roughly twenty-two minutes in length with three interviews in addition to Mr. Roddenberry and license three [or] four film clips.” If more money is raised, more interviews would be included.
The fundraiser includes perks and runs through August 10. For more information on The Gene Roddenberry Project Kickstarter, head to the link located here.
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Not to denigrate this guy’s efforts or anything, but is there really anything “new” in this Roddenberry interview? Isn’t it just Gene telling the same old stories about how everyone at NBC and Desilu not named Gene Roddenberry was an sexist bigot idiot but he was able to get Star Trek made in spite of them through the sheer force of his will and his huge titanium balls? I can see why friends or family members–people who actually knew the man–would be excited about a “lost” interview. But is there really anything of value there for the rest of us?
That was pretty much my initial thought as well; I don’t know if there’s anything left we don’t already know about. But then, if he’s only looking for $15K for a 22-minute documentary, it seems like a no-brainer. I say let this guy have his moment in the limelight, no matter how short it’s gonna be (because you *know* it’s not gonna go any other way…)