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due to poor ratings. He struggled in the film and television industry after this, and spent many years finding alternative work to support his family, until in 1975 Paramount Pictures gave the go ahead for a "Star Trek" sequel series that, ultimately, would be dumped in favor of producing a feature film. "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" was released in 1979.

"The glory of creation is in its infinite diversity."

Though it didn't win, the first "Star Trek" film was nominated for three Oscars amidst a variety of other awards. Despite average reviews, it also managed to gross more than $100M over its budget of $35M. Its modest success would, in time, propel Roddenberry to stardom, see the creation of ten "Star Trek" feature films, four major television series spin-offs, and sixteen years after his death, an eleventh film, rumored to have a budget of $100M, is in development.

Roddenberry received Emmy award nominations for "Star Trek", various other awards, a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and a legion of die-hard fans, known as 'Trekkers'. His novelization of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" came close to selling a million copies and stayed number one on the national best seller list for weeks. He even became a draw-card lecturer at such notable institutions as NASA and the Library of Congress.

"We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing all-powerful God, who creates faulty Humans, and then blames them for his own mistakes."

Roddenberry is credited with more than 60 film, video and television titles, most of which relate to the "Star Trek" franchise. Upon his death in 1991, his creative legacy continued with the production of two more of his ideas: "Andromeda" and "Earth: Final Conflict". Both of these sci-fi series series would eventually run longer than the original Star Trek.

He is survived by his wife Majel Barrett (who plays the character Lwaxana Troi in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", and who supplies the voice of the USS Enterprise's on board computer), his son Gene Roddenberry Jr., and two daughters. He became one of the first people to be buried in space, when a portion of his ashes were launched into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base. In a fitting end to the life of a popular space visionary, his ashes circled the Earth for five years before burning up in the atmosphere.

"Live Long and Prosper"

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