Thank you very much, Majel Barrett.
Without you, the idea of a female first officer, onboard a military flagship — even a FICTIONAL one such as the Starship Enterprise — might have gone by the wayside for another decade. She was so successful in the role (and so much more interesting than Jeffrey Hunter’s dull Captain Pike) that (1) it freaked out enough top brass at Paramount Pictures to scrub the idea, and (2) it led to her marriage to the Great Bird of the Galaxy himself, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. By default, she became the mother of Star Trek…and that alone — defending and protecting one of television’s greatest creations — should cement her legacy.
But it didn’t end there. She became the high-pitched, mechanical voice of the original Enterprise computer…a task that would evolve into becoming the common, soothing sound of ALL Starfleet computers, from The Next Generation to Deep Space Nine to Voyager…and now the upcoming JJ Abrams Star Trek film. She also took the role of Dr.McCoy’s ever reliable nurse, Christine Chapel. She was unflappable, uncompromising…and totally smitten with Leonard Nimoy’s Spock. Her finest hour comes in Amok Time, when she tries to bring him soup…leading to hilarity AND poignancy.
Finally, and for all time, she WAS Lwaxana Troi: mother of The Next Generation’s Counselor Deanna Troi, daughter of the fifth house, holder of the sacred chalice of Rixx, and heir to the holy rings of Betazed. She was blunt, forward, and a man-killer capable of reducing Patrick Stewart’s formidable Jean-Luc Picard to jelly. Mrs. Troi — in Majel Barrett’s hands — was a comedy genius…perhaps never finer than in her double-act with Patrick Stewart in the climax of Menage a Troi. Never has Shakespeare been taken to such entertaining, soap opera heights! But she was also determined to break down barriers. Many of the latter stories featuring Lwaxana dealt with issues of aging, assisted suicide, depression, and discrimination…and surprised the hell out of many viewers in the process. In her hands, subjects people found delicate to face she attacked with blunt sincerity.
So thank you once more, Majel Barrett Roddenberry. You made one hell of an impact on a cherised creation…and you deserve your rest.
