Star Trek's Success Landed Gene Roddenberry A Big First For Hollywood

When "Star Trek" debuted in 1966, no one could possibly know the impact that it would have on not only the world of television, but on pop culture as a whole. Since that time, the series has spawned numerous spin-offs, more than a dozen feature films, and more fanfiction than any one human could ever read. Captain James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner) and the rest of the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise are recognizable to just about everyone, even if they've never seen the series. The show's impact is immense, and in 1985, series creator Gene Roddenberry earned a very special honor for his part in it all. 

Plenty of movie stars and directors have been immortalized on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, with their names on plaques inside of giant stars on the sidewalk, but Roddenberry was the first television writer and/or producer to given a spot. (This should not be confused with the other "walk of fame" where stars put their hand and footprints in the cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, which is directly across the street from Bruce Lee's Walk of Fame star.) Let's take a look at Roddenberry's legacy, from that Hollywood star to having his ashes launched into space. 

Roddenberry was the first TV creator to get a star on the Walk of Fame, and his ceremony was held on September 4, 1985. "Star Trek" had not quite evolved into a full franchise yet, with only the original series and "Star Trek: The Animated Series," plus three movies, but everything was still based around Kirk's crew of the Enterprise. Two years later the franchise would expand with "Star Trek: The Next Generation," though Roddenberry only even agreed to be a part of it in a fit of rage. Sadly, he wouldn't live to see everything that the franchise would one day become, as he died only a few years later in October of 1991. 

The "Star Trek" creator would get several accolades after his death as well, including being inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2007 alongside writer Gene Wolfe, director Ridley Scott, and visual artist Ed Emshwiller. He was also inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 2010. 

Probably the most impressive of his posthumous achievements was that Roddenberry and his wife, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, both had their ashes launched into space in 1997, and were among the first people to be "buried" in space.

It's pretty fitting that Roddenberry had his ashes sent out into the stars, as that's how the characters who have died on "Star Trek" over the years are typically honored. (They're usually shot out into space in a cool-looking casket, but hey, we're still only in the 2020s.) Though Roddenberry didn't have any hits after "Star Trek," his contribution to science fiction just through this one series is monumental. "Star Trek" has been a cultural touchstone for many, with Roddenberry's progressive ideals helping to not only impact us as a whole, but as individuals. "Star Trek" has helped fans reckon with feeling different, whether it's their race, gender identity, or sexuality. Without Roddenberry initially creating the series and sticking to his guns on his progressive ideals, none of that could have happened.