The author Chris Snelgrove
| Published
Majel Barrett Roddenberry became one of the most consistent parts of Star Trek's Golden Age, voicing the ship's computer and starring as Lwaxana Troi. The next generation and Deep Space Nine. It was actually a big deal when she first showed up in DS9's “The Forsaken” because not only was she a pre-established character, but she was also the wife of the late, great Gene Roddenberry. It may have been a tense episode, but according to series stars like Armin Shimerman, she instantly won everyone over and “really looked like someone was coming home for the night.”
Majel Barrett was no diva
As for Shimerman, he described how much he was “looking forward” to working with her Deep Space Nine. Fortunately, it sounds like the experience lived up to his expectations, with him describing how “she was great to work with” and that “she was sweet, kind and funny.” It sounds like he was worried she might have a little trouble fitting in at first, but the Quark actor described how “she was so at home in those movies.”
Obviously Armin Shimerman loved everything about his experience working with Majel Barrett Roddenberry and shared his opinion with everyone who worked Deep Space Nine. According to him, “the crew adores her and she was so attentive.” Perhaps borrowing a bit of bluntness from his Ferengi character, Shimerman then said the silent part out loud: “Given her position in the cosmology of the world. Star Trekshe was a very, very considerate person.
Reading between the lines, Shimmerman seems to be implying that Mayella Barrett Roddenberry, as the wife of franchise creator Gene Roddenberry, could have been a total prima donna (if not an outright tyrant) when she arrived Deep Space Nine. She was the wife of Trek's top authority figure, and after his untimely death in 1991, she assumed his authority whenever she was on set. However, instead of using these powers to get her way, she immediately impressed everyone with her kindness and grace.
Great performance
While everyone was impressed by Majela Barrett Roddenberry's kindness, they were equally impressed with her talents as an actor, so she was invited back Deep Space Nine for two more later episodes. In The Forsaken, Odo actor René Auberjonois enjoyed bringing his relationship between his shapeshifter and her telepath to brilliant life. “Through the relationship with Lwaxan, the audience was introduced to an aspect of him that made him likable and they really connected with him,” he said.
In addition, Majel Barrett Roddenberry surprised Michael Piller, who was the show's host and co-creator. Deep Space Nine. According to Piller, “Majela was the warmest and most wonderful as Mrs. Troy.” While developing, he noted how “she goes from being a woman you can't imagine getting stuck in an elevator with to being the best companion you could ever have.”
The last comment relates to the plot of The Forsaken, where the flirtatious Lwaxan Troy follows Odo and ends up in a turbolift where they are stuck due to a strange system failure. Odo grows increasingly worried that his shapeshifting will require him to return to liquid form, and he tells Troi that no one has ever seen him this way. This prompts her to take off her wig and say that no one has ever seen her like this, and that's enough for Odo to turn into his liquid form on her lap in a sweetly intimate moment.
Sometimes it's easy to forget Majel Barrett Roddenberry's Deep Space Nine episodes because the show is more remembered for things like that Dominion War arc. However, she was one of the best parts of the early show and helped bring out the best in the show's regular cast. And thanks to the cast and showrunner Piller, we now know that Roddenberry herself is just as impressive as her character when it came to every member of the cast and crew she encountered.
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