Farewell Majel, and Qapla’!
Unless you aren’t a geek, or live in a cave playing WoW, you know that Majel Barrett Roddenberry passed away on December 18,2008. This was an especially sad day for all geeks, and especially the trekker/trekkies of us. Having the distinction of having been apart of every single Star Trek series and movie, she really was what helped define an era of science fiction.
Married to Gene Roddenberry, and labeled the “first lady of Star Trek”, Majel helped to launch the series as the number one officer of the Enterprise serving under Chirstopher Pike. Later in a different role, she played the ever vigilant Nurse Chapel, who never could quite get over her love of Spock. Also as the ever famous voice of “the computer”, she not only helped direct hundreds of crew members to the right hallway, but supplied millions of geeks with a complete set of sounds to make their own computers a little more futuristic.
Majel Barrett, an actress under her own right, started her career in the 50′s with roles in such popular shows as “Leave it to Beaver,” “Bonanza” and “The Lucy Show”. She will however always be remembered as the exuberiant and often misunderstood Luwaxana Troy.
I enjoyed a comment made by Wil Wheaton on his blog when asked to recount a story about her :
“Since we got the news yesterday, a lot of people have asked me if I can tell a story as a way to remember her. I’ve dug around in the attic of my mind for hours, and the best I can do is: We always had fun when we were working on Next Generation, but when Majel was on the set, it was a party. “
Majel Barrett Roddenberry died, at the age of 76, of leukemia at her home in Bel Air with her son. She will be missed, but never forgotten.
