When did Roddenberry first condemn Star Trek V?

May 14, 2009 5:39 PM

What is the source of the oft-cited complaint by Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry that Star Trek V is "apocryphal at best"?

The first appearance I can find is in Michael and Denise Okuda's Star Trek Chronology (1996), but I wonder where Gene said it and to whom.

I'm basically looking for help finding the first public statement by Roddenberry that he didn't approve of Shatner's movie. Any help much appreciated.

posted by Kirklander to media & arts (5 comments total)

Ok, I realize this is not conclusive by any means, but even before I had read the Chronology, I had been told by a friend who attended a Star Trek Con in 1990 that he had heard Gene Roddenberry talk about how he felt some stories, including The Final Frontier, didn't fit in with the Trek universe as a whole.

I (like you) can't find any publications where Gene is quoted to this effect, but the general impression is that he was happy to say it to anyone who asked. Not to disrespect the man, but I suspect it was handy thing to say in order to avoid a fan's ire or a prolonged conversation about the... issues... from that film.
posted by chudmonkey at 5:54 PM on May 14

Also, Mike and Denise Okuda are both on Facebook. You could send Mike your question via Facebook or via the "send me a message" link at the bottom of his homepage - He's a real Trek history nerd, as you probably guessed.
posted by chudmonkey at 5:59 PM on May 14

Ex Astris Scientifica's page on canon implies that there's no recorded source for this: "Star Trek V & VI It may be just a rumor that Gene Roddenberry wanted these two movies removed from canon, allegedly because they don't reflect the true spirit of Star Trek. We may have to wonder anyway why Roddenberry was so opposed to the alleged racism in "Star Trek VI" (according to director Nicholas Meyer), a movie that came into the theaters after his death, that he banned it before it was even completed."
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 6:24 PM on May 14

FWIW, Memory Alpha states "In fact, Gene Roddenberry has stated that certain plot elements were 'apocryphal,' although it is not known exactly which elements he was referring to (though some believe he was referring to the notion of Mr. Spock having a brother)" [emph. mine], although that statement is itself unsourced. So it's possible Roddenberry only considered bits and pieces of it non-canon, not the whole thing.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:51 AM on May 15

Thanks for the answers.
posted by Kirklander at 7:52 AM on May 15