Unfortunately, during this interregnum, Roddenberry developed a particular kind of egomania, where after years of fans telling him what a visionary he was, he pretty much believed it. Despite the fact that the series' success was due to the collaboration of many people, both in front of and behind the camera, he believed that it was all due to him, and that he could come up with no bad idea.
When the time came to do a movie based upon [i:3d1b603ddd] Star Trek[/i:3d1b603ddd], the Great Visionary was given carte blance to realize his vision on screen. And what a yawner it was. This movie was so boring that the next five Trek movies made up to the time that Roddenberry died had nothing to do with him; in fact, he hated all of them.
He nevertheless managed to create a new Star Trek series, which he managed to almost turn his entire fan base off before relinquishing control of the series in the second season. His "brilliant'" ideas included the counselor having four breasts. Thankfully, by the time he died, others had carried the series along to brilliant new heights. All that remains of Roddenberry's "vision" are two TV series, [i:3d1b603ddd] Earth: Final Conflict[/i:3d1b603ddd] and [i:3d1b603ddd] Andromeda[/i:3d1b603ddd] "created" from half-finished notes and old premises of his, smooshed together by his widow.
Gene Roddenberry was hardly the last producer/writer to fall prey to this syndrome. J. Michael Straczynski managed to create a sweeping novel-on-television with the first four seasons of [i:3d1b603ddd] Babylon 5[/i:3d1b603ddd]; unfortunately, the fifth season, [i:3d1b603ddd] Crusades[/i:3d1b603ddd] and the Tv-movie/pilot [i:3d1b603ddd] Legend of the Rangers[/i:3d1b603ddd] were JMS' attempt to add water to a concept and call it milk.
We at the Majel Barret Clinic (named for Roddenberry's widow and, to tell the truth, Chief Enabler) need your help fighting Roddenberry Syndrome, which lately has afflicted our old friend Joss. Maybe with your dollars, we can beat this disease. Please help.
