Category : Various Text files
Archive   : TRKLN519.ZIP
Filename : GR-MEM.TXT

 
Output of file : GR-MEM.TXT contained in archive : TRKLN519.ZIP
In Memory:
GENE RODDENBERRY
(1921-1991)

by William Stone, III

o o o o o

I always knew I'd write this. I was only slightly less than two
years old when Star Trek premiered in 1966. It's a statistical
probability that I'll write a memorium for every single cast and crew
member from the original series.

On Thursday, October 24, 1991, Gene Roddenberry left us.

In Chicago, his passing was marked by a violent thunderstorm which
closed down O'Hare International for nearly two hours. I like to think
that the two events were related. His enormous, creative spirit needed
all the runway space to take off on its next voyage.

Shall I write about his achievements? No point. We have all been
touched by the genius of the man - the entire WORLD has been touched by
him. His vision changed the face of television science fiction. Star
Trek then influenced an entire generation of creators in many areas of
speculative fiction. Through Roddenberry, the entire genre was forever
altered.

Should I talk about how his vision touched me personally? Again,
very little point. If his view of humanity hadn't touched us all in some
way, Star Trek fandom wouldn't be here. Gene's vision was at least in
part responsible for my marriage (see my article "Bill and Carole's
Excellent Star Trek Adventure"), some business decisions, and consumed
more of my lifetime than any other activity. We all feel that way to one
degree or another or we wouldn't be talking about his creation.

What man can claim to have touched the hearts and minds of literally
millions - perhaps hundreds of millions - of people throughout the world?
How many of them can claim to have done so for a quarter of a century?

Despite this, Gene was a total stranger to me. I never met him, I
never talked to him, I never wrote him. I spent much of my time both
lauding and criticising his work.

( There is, by the way, nothing wrong with criticizing someone you
admire and respect, even posthumously. I'll give Roddenberry the same
respect now as I did before he died - which means he's deserving of all the
praise and criticism I can muster. To do less would be to cheapen my
regard for his intellect. )

Dramatic criticism doesn't make a stranger any less a stranger. I
didn't go to bars with him. I didn't pal around with him. I didn't know
his views on the middle east, the economy, abortion ... basically, all the
things I expect to know about someone who is my friend. I knew his WORK,
and that is all. I never knew the MAN, though I fervently wish I'd had
the chance.

When he died, I felt the way I have only twice in the past, when
other brilliant strangers whose work influenced my life passed away.

My spiritual experiences tell me is that the spirit (the soul, the
Katra) is energy. My scientific experiences tell me that energy cannot be
destroyed, it can only change form. Therefore, Gene Roddenberry's soul
isn't gone; it's simply changed its form.

David Gerrold once mentioned that the final frontier isn't space, but
the human soul. When I die, my friends, don't mourn. Wish me: "Safe
travels!" Death is simply another marker on the voyage best typified by
Roddenberry's most famous prose: " ... to boldly go where no man has gone
before."

Safe travels, Gene.


-----
Copyright (C) 1991 by William Stone, III. Permission to reprint or
distribute the text of this article in its entirety is hereby granted and
encouraged, provided the author's byline and this copyright notice are
retained.

  3 Responses to “Category : Various Text files
Archive   : TRKLN519.ZIP
Filename : GR-MEM.TXT

  1. Very nice! Thank you for this wonderful archive. I wonder why I found it only now. Long live the BBS file archives!

  2. This is so awesome! 😀 I’d be cool if you could download an entire archive of this at once, though.

  3. But one thing that puzzles me is the “mtswslnkmcjklsdlsbdmMICROSOFT” string. There is an article about it here. It is definitely worth a read: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/mtswslnk/