Roddenberry served as a B-17 pilot in World War II alongside men from different backgrounds, and made his Star Trek crew similarly diverse.

This week marks the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, arguably the largest science fiction franchise in popular culture history. The TV series debuted on September 8, 1966, on NBC, where it was presented as a “space western,” modeled after classic frontier television.

Its creator Gene Roddenberry pitched it as “Wagon Train to the Stars,” where the starship would travel the galaxy, encountering “strange new worlds” while seeking out new life and new civilizations. In many ways, it boldly went where no American TV show had gone before—arriving three years after Doctor Who materialized in his TARDIS on the BBC.

Before Star Trek, science fiction on TV and in the movies was largely defined by pulp adventure serials, bug-eyed monsters (BEMs), and cautionary tales of atomic-age horror. Star Trek used futuristic settings that mirrored the real-world political, social, and moral issues of the 1960s. Hence, the Cold War was echoed in the Federation’s fragile peace with the Klingons, who represented the Soviet Union, and the Romulans, who were a stand-in for Red China.

Interestingly, Starfleet—which was introduced only midway through the first season—is explicitly stated not to be a military organization, even if its actual operations, structure, and wartime actions often contradict that claim. Roddenberry and the show’s writers sought for Starfleet to be a peaceful scientific, research, and diplomatic body rather than a traditional military force.

Yet, depending on the episode, notably in the later series, Starfleet seems pretty militaristic at times.

Gene Roddenberry’s Journey from the Military to Hollywood

The vision of a future built primarily around peaceful interaction still differs from other science fiction worlds where conflict is the core theme. 

Star Trek, apart from the latest batch of films that seem inspired by the wave of superhero movies that are over-the-top, action-packed popcorn thrillers, largely downplayed conflict. Some of this could be based on Gene Roddenberry’s own experiences, notably during World War II.

Shortly after the Japanese sneak attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, Roddenberry, who was 20 years old and studying police science at Los Angeles City College, joined the United States Army Air Corps. He earned a commission as second lieutenant, eventually training as a B-17 Flying Fortress pilot.

“During World War II, Roddenberry flew a total of 89 combat missions. He flew with the 394th Bomb Squadron, 5th Bombardment Group of the 13th Air Force in Oahu, Hawaii,” VA News reported, noting that his B-17, nicknamed “Yankee Doodle,” took part in the Battle of Guadalcanal.

He flew out of bases in Fiji, Guadalcanal, and Espiritu Santo, participating in missions through contested areas including Bougainville.

He continued to fly until August 2, 1943, when his B-17 bomber malfunctioned, overshot the runway, and crashed during a takeoff. Two members of the flight crew, including the navigator and the bombardier, were killed in the crash. Roddenberry was absolved of any responsibility, but he was reassigned stateside and charged with investigating aircraft crashes. During the war, he survived a second aircraft crash as a passenger.

He was honorably discharged in 1945 at the rank of captain, earning both an Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross.

In civilian life, Roddenberry became a commercial pilot, and that could have been his lifelong career. However, while “deadheading” on a flight over Syria in June 1947, his plane went down, resulting in many casualties. Roddenberry survived and helped pull survivors from the burning wreck. The third plane crash convinced him that it was time to do something else. 

He joined the Los Angeles Police Department in 1949 and began to pursue a writing career. He consulted on the popular show Dragnet, boiling down real-life cases into short TV episodes.

In 1956, he retired from the LAPD, opting to write full-time.

He wrote freelance scripts before he served as head writer for Have Gun – Will Travel and The West Point Story. He also contributed scripts to Highway Patrol, Dragnet, and Naked City. He created and produced the 1960s military drama series The Lieutenant, but then developed something different: his “Wagon Train to the Stars.”

Roddenberry’s Star Trek Offered an Idealist View of the Future

Roddenberry sought to present what he believed to be an optimistic view of the future, even if there were plenty of aliens—including those nasty Klingons and plotting Romulans, among others—who didn’t always agree.

Roddenberry based the structure and rank of the ship’s crew on the military structures and ranks he knew from his service with the Army Air Corps.

He made the crew diverse, too, just as his fellow servicemen had been. He placed female, Black, and Asian characters in positions of authority. The original pilot had “Number Two”, a woman played by Majel Barrett, serving as the second-in-command of the Starship Enterprise. Once the show got going, it regularly featured a Japanese man (George Takei) as the helmsman (pilot) and a Black woman (Nichelle Nichols) as the chief communications officer.

The show is often credited as featuring the first interracial kiss on American network TV.

The original series’ crew of people who acknowledge and accept each other’s differences, and work together is considered by many to be its greatest contribution to pop culture.

Star Trek was not a hit, and it barely survived for three seasons. However, the people who loved the show really loved it, and they wanted more. Roddenberry gave them an animated series and several movies.

Fans organized conventions and a letter-writing campaign to have NASA name the first Space Shuttle Enterprise. (A later similar campaign by Star Wars fans failed.)

The Star Trek franchise now includes 13 TV series, 13 movies that were released in theaters, and one movie released on a streaming service. Artifacts from the show have a permanent place in the National Air and Space Museum.

Star Trek inspired fan conventions, a popular interactive attraction in Las Vegas (from 1998 to 2008), two small museums in the US, several traveling museum exhibitions, several documentary films, and a few musical groups. Some believe the show inspired the Space Force logo. 

Roddenberry died on Oct. 24, 1991, at the age of 70. A true member of the “Greatest Generation,” he was a war hero who went on to create a vision of the future where humanity seeks to avoid conflict.

About the Author: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu has contributed to dozens of newspapers, magazines and websites over a 30-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a contributing writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. He is based in Michigan. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: Editor@nationalinterest.org.

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