Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was an American actress born on February 23, 1932. She was married to Star Trek producer Gene Roddenberry and was known as the First Lady of Star Trek.

Majel was working for Desilu Studios, owned by Desi Arnez and Lucille Ball, when she met Gene as he was making The Lieutenant. His next project was Star Trek, and she landed the role as the executive officer, whose name was simply "Number One", in the pilot episode. The executives at Paramount were not impressed that Gene put his girlfriend in a role that a man should be doing (in their opinion) and she was removed from her position. At the Pasadena Star Trek Convention Majel used to joke that the execs hated both Spock and herself, so she married Gene and they kept Spock because Leonard Nimoy wouldn't want it the other way around.

Majel was recast in a recurring role as nurse Christine Chapel, who was always pining for Mr. Spock. She also appeared in the movies as Doctor Chapel, and when Star Trek: The Next Generation came out, she appeared as Captain Jean-Luc Picard's thorn Lwaxana Troi, and reprised the role as an ambassador on Star Trek: Deep Space 9. Majel is the only person who has been a part of all of the television series and movies, many times as the voice of the computer, up until her death in 2008. She and Gene are survived by their son, Eugene Roddenberry, Jr., who was born in 1974.

Iron Noder 2017

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