[RedShirtWalking]

Well, he's more than just "producer," isn't he? If it weren't for him creating the thing, we wouldn't have it.

[Zardoz]

True. But non of the other shows he created (aside from The Questor Tapes) ever had any potential to be as universally accepted as Trek.

[Commodore]

Originally Posted by RedShirtWalking

Well, he's more than just "producer," isn't he? If it weren't for him creating the thing, we wouldn't have it.

Well...here's how I kind of see it with Roddenberry.

Yes, the initial idea and characters were all Roddenberry's--that's undeniable and no one can take that away from him. But a lot of other early aspects of TOS were the result of the writers and other producers he assembled or were assembled around him. A great many concepts were the invention of Gene L. Coon (and others), but as they were working for Roddenberry (essentially), he gets most of the credit for things he may have only been slightly involved in. That happens all the time. George Lucas does it too. Other people come up with ideas and he signs off on it if he likes it, and people generally think he created it all when he actually didn't.

This by no means takes anything away from Roddenberry--he'll forever be the Great Bird of the Galaxy in my book--but he's role as a [executive] producer is important too. A good producer knows how to assemble a good team of fellow creators to work with, IMO, to create his vision.

The same thing can be said for Berman, Moore, Coto, and perhaps even Abrams eventually...

[Botany Bay]

I agree, the Walt Disney effect. A very basic idea that gets expanded on by many other creative people while the most of the fame stays whith the person who initiated everything.

I think one can read Genes proposal for Star Trek on Memory Alpha (dont have the link at hand now). When you read the proposal you will see how much Star Trek evolved over the years.

Where I think Genes whole achievement is is a very unique mixture of naive and almost childish idealism and an old fashioned faible for adventure together with future gadgets and technology. Especially this humanistic idealism was relatively unique in the sixties.

[MissionTrek08]

Walt Disney is a fairly apt example, if only on a larger scale than Roddenberry. Such creations and phenomena usually arise from a one person with a singular vision... a philosophy, an outlook, a view of the world which he/she can impart to other creators and inspire them to perpetuate.

I take nothing away from the producers, directors, writers and cast who undoubtably made TREK what it became. But all of it came from GR and his vision, his way of telling this particular story.

The series wasn't wildly different in tone and content every week like an anthology series, despite its episodic format. All those creators shaped characters and stories using their individual talents, but the results came out as they did in a unified, consistent 'world' because they had Gene's vision to guide them. That's a rare thing in the sausage-churning factory of show business.

[Zardoz]

Some very good posts!! I think all of three of you bring up great points, I agree with.