Gene Roddenberry Books In Order

Publication Order of Star Trek Non-Fiction Books

Publication Order of Star Trek: Movie Novelization Books

Gene Roddenberry was a renowned American writer, producer, Tv screenwriter and the original creator of the Star Trek TV series as well as its first spin-off series called The Next Generation. He was born in El Paso, Texas and was brought up in Los Angeles. Roddenberry’s father stationed as a police officer in Los Angeles. He was employed in the Army Air Forces during the Second World War and participated in 89 combat battles. After the war came to an end, Roddenberry started flying commercially. Later, Roddenberry joined the LAPD following his father’s suggestion. It was during his police service that he started writing scripts for TV shows. During his freelance writing days, Roddenberry penned scripts for Have Gun-Will Travel, Highway Patrol, and several other series. Later, he created and produced his own TV series called The Lieutenant.

The highlight of Roddenberry’s career came when he created Star Trek in 1964, which premiered for the first time in 1966 and completed a successful run of three years continuously before the producers decided to cancel it. Then, Roddenberry worked on different other projects, including several failed TV pilots. Star Trek’s syndication resulted in its worldwide popularity and in turn, led to the development of feature films based on the original TV series. He was asked to work as a consultant and producer on this project. In 1987, work on the sequel series, The Next Generation, began and was aired on TV in its first-run syndication. Author Roddenberry had a big involvement in the early development of the sequel project. However, his health began to deteriorate after the 1st season and prevented him from taking a further active role.

Until Roddenberry’s death in 1991, he remained a consultant on the sequel series. In 1985, Roddenberry was felicitated by naming a star in his name on the Walk of Fame in Hollywood and in doing so, he became the 1st TV writer to achieve this honor. Later, he was inducted into the ATAS Hall of Fame and the Science Fiction Hall of Fame. Several years after his death, his ashes were carried into space. This was also the first time a human’s ash was taken into the earth orbit. Roddenberry’s Star Trek universe was so popular that it inspired many books, video games, films, fan films, and comic books set in the same universe. Author Roddenberry was born as Eugen Wesley Roddenberry on August 19, 1921, in a rented house in El Paso. He was the eldest child of his parents, Eugen Edward and Caroline Roddenberry.

In 1923, Roddenberry relocated to Los Angeles with his parents. He showed great interest in reading as a child. Roddenberry used to read mostly pulp magazines, Tarzan, Skylark, and John Carter stories. He studied police science and obtained a degree from Los Angeles City College. During his college days, he met Eileen-Anita Rexroat and began dating her. Also, his interest in aeronautical engineering at the same time enabled him to obtain his pilot’s license from the Civilian Pilot Training Program sponsored by the US Army Air Corps. Roddenberry married Eileen in June 1942, six months after enlisting himself in the USAAC. Following his graduation from the USAAC in August 1942, Roddenberry was commissioned in the rank of second lieutenant. In the next few years, he participated in several battles for his country and received many awards and commendations for his service.

In 1945, Roddenberry joined Pan American Airways and began flying commercial planes. He was tasked with flying the longest routes of that time, New York to Calcutta or Johannesburg. In 1947, Roddenberry was involved in a major crash in 1947 in the Syrian Desert that left him with 2 broken ribs. He showed great courage at that time by dragging out injured passengers from the burning plane despite being heavily injured himself. After this incident, Roddenberry left flying completely and took a job with the LAPD in 1949. He worked in the traffic section for the first sixteen months before getting transferred to the newspaper vision. Later, Roddenberry received a promotion to become the speechwriter of the Police Chief. It was at this time that the producers of Mr. District Attorney approached him to take up the role of a technical advisor. This led Roddenberry to write for the first time under the pen name of Robert Wesley.

From thereon, he went on to write for numerous other TV programs and also tried his hand at writing original scripts. Roddenberry was known to have multiple affairs outside his marriage to Eileen Anita. While being employed at the LAPD, he was in a relationship with 2 women at the same time and wanted both the women to remain his partners together. Later, his marriage ended in divorce after which he married one of his lovers, Majel Barrett in Japan. Their son, Eugene Jr. aka Rod Roddenberry, is a famous TV producer and CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment. Roddenberry’s death occurred on October 24, 1991, in Santa Monica, California due to complications from a stroke and heart disease.

A popular book written by author Gene Roddenberry is entitled ‘Spectre’. It was released in 1979 by Bantam Books. The book revolves around the Cyon Family that becomes suddenly powerful and wealthy. The essential characters depicted in the novel include Anitra Cyon, William Sebastian, Dr. Hamilton, etc. After years of dominating the city and indulging in every possible crime, the family is now on the brink of extinction. The ancient family manor, Kentworth Abbey, reeks of human depravity. Anitra Cyon is terrified of her loneliness and desperately calls for help. Top criminologists, Dr. Hamilton and William Sebastian, prepare themselves to deal with a deadly criminal, whose minions are known to kill for lust.

Another excellent story written by Roddenberry is known as ‘The City on the Edge Forever’. It was also published by Bantam Books in 1977. This book serves as the first Star Trek Fotonovel. The novel opens by showing that Dr. McCoy gets accidentally injected with a powerful drug while orbiting a distant planet. He freaks out and lands on the planet. Kirk finds him in the ruins and with the help of his team, brings him back. McCoy finds a time portal and uses it to enter his past to change history. Spock and Kirk also follow him, but arrive in New York at the time of the Great Depression. As they try to know the whereabouts of McCoy, they come across a social worker named Edith Keeler. Kirk falls in love with Edith. However, he is left to deal with a difficult choice upon learning that Edith Keeler is the key to the changes McCoy is looking to make.