The Star Trek Episode That Deeply Impacted Rod Roddenberry
In the "Star Trek" episode "The Devil in the Dark" (March 9, 1967), Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) visit a remote mining colony on the planet Janus VI to address an uptick in miner deaths. There is a mysterious creature burrowing through the rocks in the tunnels below and attacking people. The creature extrudes a powerful acid, allowing it to tunnel incredibly quickly and making pursuit difficult.
Kirk and Spock locate the creature and find it is a silicon-based living mound of rock. Kirk also discovers that it responds to the threat of his phaser and suspects that the creature's attacks are calculated. Spock then mind-melds with the creature and learns it's called a Horta. Hortas have an unusual lifecycle in that the species goes extinct every 50,000 years, with only one creature surviving to look after millions of eggs. The spheroid nodules that line the cave walls, they learn, are those eggs. The Horta was just protecting its young from miners who would steal or destroy the eggs. To the miners, the eggs are nothing more than worthless rock deposits.
It's a classic "Star Trek" conceit. Something that seems scary, unknowable, or monstrous is merely misunderstood. We'd be wise to reach out to others rather than merely charge in with weapons blazing. Eventually, the miners learn to stay out of the Horta's way as it goes about its normal life.
In December 2021, Rod Roddenberry, the son of "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry, took to Reddit to answer questions from Trekkies, revealing that "The Devil in the Dark" was probably his favorite episode of the original series. He also noted that, because he was born in 1974, he had more explicit memories of "Star Trek: The Next Generation."
The Devil in the Dark
Rod Roddenberry currently serves as an executive producer on the Paramount+ spate of "Star Trek" shows and has been present for the production of every "Star Trek" series since the premiere of "Star Trek: Discovery" in 2017. He also once served as a production assistant on "The Next Generation," which debuted when he was 13. One can see how "The Next Generation" was formative to the young man.
When asked what his favorite "Star Trek" episode was across every show made to date (an impossible question indeed), Roddenberry replied:
"Ultimately, I am a 'Next Gen' fan and find many of the episodes in the seven seasons to rank pretty high on my scale. However, if I had to select just one, it would be the one that made the biggest impression on me when I was first introduced to 'Star Trek': 'The Devil in the Dark.' I was blown away with the antagonist, a rock monster, who turned out to simply be misunderstood, and it was a mother protecting its young and the humans unknowingly were killing its children. I love the twist, recognizing that we were the devil in the dark."
"The Devil in the Dark" is one of the better episodes of "Star Trek" and, as mentioned, features a classically Roddenberrian twist on a space monster. Most of the creatures in "Star Trek" possess a tragic element and are frequently depicted as solitary or merely hungry; it's rare that they turn out to be outwardly evil. Even when Kirk encounters a homicidal teenager with godlike powers, or an actual semi-deity, he has the moxie to merely slap them across the face and tell them they need to adjust their attitudes, mister. No being is beyond redemption.
Rod Roddenberry's favorite captain
Of course, the question now arises: whom did Rod Roddenberry like better? Kirk or Picard (Patrick Stewart)? If he was raised on "The Next Generation" and even worked with Stewart, then one might naturally assume that he's a Picard man. But since his dad created Captain Kirk, a legacy character dating back to 1966, he might want to honor his father's memory by selecting Kirk.
His true favorite, however, is one of the more recent additions to the "Star Trek" canon:
"Until recently, Captain Picard was my favorite Captain. However, I must say that Anson Mount and his portrayal of Captain Pike in season 2 of 'Discovery' blew me away as a leader because he led with humility and respect for the training ingenuity and talent of his crew. At this point I would say he is tied with Picard and I can't wait to see his continued portrayal of Pike in 'Strange New Worlds.' I do not believe in leaders who govern solely with authority."
At the time of Roddenberry's Reddit Q&A, "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" was still in development, but audiences had already seen several of the "Strange New Worlds" characters make their debut on "Star Trek: Discovery." Pike is, as any Trekkie can tell you, the captain of the Enterprise as he was depicted in "The Cage," the original "Star Trek" pilot. Jeffrey Hunter originally played the character, while Anson Mount took over the role in 2020.
The new version of Pike was also a perfect marriage between Gene Roddenberry's original creation and Rod Roddenberry's new version of the franchise. Overseeing Pike must have felt like a handshake with his late father.