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Majel Roddenberry Dies At 76
unassimilatible writes "If there was ever a sad day for nerds, it's today, as Majel Barrett-Rodenberry has passed away. The widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry is best remembered as the gorgeous Nurse Christine Chapel from the original series, the pesky and officious Lwaxana Troi from The Next Generation and Deep Space Nine, and of course the ubiquitous voice of Star Trek computers in movies, TV, and animated films (who hasn't used her voice as a system sound on their PC?). Majel also attended Star Trek conventions yearly and was a producer of Andromeda. Fortunately, Majel just finished her voice over work for the computers in J.J. Abrams' latest Trek movie. I have to admit, this made me sad, just having caught up on the entire TNG and DS9 series on DVD."
Her voice was unique - ironically I don't think a digital voice would do the computer justice, and posers ain't cool. :(
Let's not forget that she was cast as the first officer in the original Star Trek pilot episode too.
Computer...
End program.
Where does the school board find them and why do they keep sending them to ME?
Were there any further details? Truly a Klingon icon.
Isn't that one of the syrup flavors at IHOP?
Sheldon
Turn in your card.
in which one exists only in the memory of others." - Natasha Yar
Thankfully we have DVDs.
God speed Majel. Say hi to Gene for us.
.the one watching as the damaged Enterprise pulls into Stardock in Star Trek III...
Nope, that was Grace Lee Whitney, Yeoman Janice Rand in the original series, and a CPO in ST IV. Apparently her brief appearance in ST III was not officially as Rand (probably for contractual reasons, I'm guessing) but her reaction makes more sense if she'd served on the Enterprise.
-- Alastair
Out of respect for the dearly departed, please... DO MAKE ALL THE JOKES YOU CAN THINK OF. Only a self important sourpuss would want people crying over their passing.
I'm going to do what Scotty would have done: Drink a bottle of something good and bask in the fond memories.
The Rift by Peter David
http://startrek.wikia.com/wiki/The_Rift
I'm a nerd.
The couple married in Japan in 1969 after "Star Trek" was canceled.
The wedding party was naked.
"She's dead, Jim"
My wife and I were just discussing her the other evening; while watching WALL-E. Feeling sad that pixar didn't cast her as the voice of the ship's computer. Instead we got a vague homage to Alien in Sigourney Weaver.
What I am now coming to realize by digesting this sad news; is that playing the voice of such a seemingly mundane role -of a starship's computer, Has become an icon of the Sci-Fi genre. While certainly not the first to play such a role. She certainly changed the entire paradigm of how the role was portrayed.
Her efforts to continue her husbands work and support of the genre will be sorely missed.
Thank you for your humor, your kindness and quirky insights into life.
No shit.
The best way to memorialize someone isn't to cry boo-hoo over the fact that they died... but to celebrate what they gave us in their life. I'm sure there are an absolute ton of wonderful stories about her, and if you feel the need to make a joke related to her career... you validate her career and life by doing so.
"She's dead, Jim." But at the same time the memories of her live on, and all she contributed to our lives will not be soon forgotten.
Raise a glass and make a toast: to Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, who Boldly Went Where No Woman Had Gone Before starting at the very beginning.
If you can read this sig, congratulations, you have your glasses on!
Are you sure? I remember that being Grace Lee Whitney, Ensign Rand from the original series. She was definitely in ST:TMP as none other than Dr.Chapel
I know Mrs. Roddenberry was in ST4. At Star Fleet HQ ordering emergency power be redirected to medical when the Probe started screwing up the power grids on Earth.
And lets not forget her appearance in Babylon 5, as the third wife of the late Centari Emperor.
No matter who it was in ST3, I'm with you on her being missed.
Having (briefly) met her once, I think she'd appreciate the cascade of awful, awful Trek jokes that would spring up at the news of something like this.
Or the Scotty route, which ideally done results in a thundering hangover and the inability to find at least half your clothes.
"All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing." - Edmund Burke
Nerds beating nerds, how perverse.
Michael Reed, freelance tech writer.
I agree with the reasoning, but I still can't manage it. The news does fill me with sadness and makes me feel quite old, too. Shatner/Kirk is relatively well preserved--and sometimes he looks ancient.
I regard TOS as a great epoch and a total fluke that it was associated with NBC. The production of TOS was practically a war with their ostensible sponsors, and now they great people of those days are leaving us. Meanwhile, NBC staggers on with such brilliant strategies as dumping prime time on Jay Leno. Hey, if you can't win, you might as well get out of the game, eh?
Anyway, I want to be optimistic about the future. I actually think part of the optimism of TOS was related to the idealism that ran amok during the Kennedy period. Now I wonder if Obama can create such an atmosphere on the wreckage that Dubya is leaving behind? The wild oscillations of America's political system seem to be completely out of control these days...
Freedom = (Meaningful - Coerced) Choice != (Speech | Beer^2), and sad sock puppets' bad mods avail them naught.
Though HAL was the voice of AI, I had always hoped that we would be able to get to the point where we could perfectly replicate her voice. It would have been fitting that in the 24th century that her voice really would have been the voice of the computer. God Speed and God Bless Majel, we are all richer for your life here.
Seraphim
Slashdot, where armchair scientists get shouted down and armchair theologians get modded up.
A Kirk/Spock comparision would have been more appropiate
Actually, a Spock/Bones comparison would have been better.
There is no "I disagree" mod for a reason. Flamebait, Troll, and Overrated are not substitutes.
...make you realize just what you take for granted. That voice was the same from day one. Yet it never dawned on me there was a person (and, it turns out, a relatively prominent one) behind that sound. Another talent gone. Another memory created. Another ubiquitous item in our lives that will have to be replaced. The voice will never be the same. Godspeed, Majel.
Are you sure? I remember that being Grace Lee Whitney, Yeoman Rand from the original series.
There, fixed that for you.
...
I need to apologize for that. I feel dirty.
Psssht. I beat myself all the time.
To pics of Nurse Chappel. *sob*
The only surefire protection against Microsoft infections is abstinence. - The Onion
Wiki links (with pics):
Christine Chapel from the original series, and Lwaxana Troi from The Next Generation.
Question everything
It's OK if you can't manage it. I remember when Dad passed, some folks had funny stories about Dad (including a time he was arrested that I didn't know about!! - and I was in my 30s when it happened - charges dismissed). I was unable to make the jokes Dad would have appreciated, but I myself appreciated hearing them
-- 73 de KG2V For the Children - RKBA! "You are what you do when it counts" - the Masso
Boy, you'd never make it in EMS...
The jokes are not for the departed, they are for those of us who still remain and have to live on with the memories. If it is disrespectful to take care of one's self, then so be it. They are dead, they won't care. Trust me.
I remember the strangest situation where a guy died in the middle of a huge folk concert with all his family around. We couldn't wait there for hours until the coroner arrived, so instead we transported him back to the station and had him sitting on the bay floor, covered with a tarp. Only his boots were sticking out.
We were doing shift-change, and my partner made a crack about needing a new pair of boots and how the guy wouldn't miss 'em. I laughed so hard my sides hurt for days. It certainly wouldn't be appropriate for the family to hear, but making jokes and laughing about it helps a lot of people grieve, get over the stress of the situation, or just plain feel better.
There's no place like
Anyone up for a good car analogy?
It's like Michael Knight explaining respect for peoples' passing to KITT.
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
After reading /. for about 10 years, I couldn't resist to finally create an account. This deserves my first post.
We lost a great human being but we are all very lucky to have been able to see and hear her until yesterday. Thank you for all the good moments I had watching and hearing you, Majel. I am still a fan and will only stop being one the day I die. It will be impossible to find a replacement for your personal talents.
http://www.ntua.gr/lurk/countries/co/guide/053.html
About halfway down the page is some discussion of the quote and Majel's appearance on B5.
# Was Morella's speech about greatness intended as a tribute to Gene Roddenberry?
There's probably a fair amount there that could apply to Gene, yes...
# If a word comes out of a character's mouth, it's usually mine. The bit about greatness was one of them; had a number of different subtexts going on behind it.
If anything I would say that while there might have been some rivalry among the crews the people who create are more likely to be friendly than anything else. It is a small world when it comes to finding truly creative people.
* Winners compare their achievements to their goals, losers compare theirs to that of others.
http://books.google.com/books?id=bBO7Uqv8LB4C&pg=PA81&vq=voice&dq=peter+david+the+rift&source=gbs_search_s&cad=0
You know, those first 100 books or so didn't totally suck.
Technology -- No Place For Wimps! Grateful Dead and Jerry Garcia Chatroom -- http://www.wemissjerry.org
I've seen this news and reaction on many different sites, and I can't even count on one human hand the number of snotty or snarky responses. She was loved and admired by many, many different people, from all walks of life.
I have two Majel memories from when I met Majel briefly at a con in Dallas in the 90's. An acquaintance had gone to the con dressed up as an Orion slave chick, and we all went to see Majel announce who won the costume competition. She said she was envious of the girl's green makeup, and that they had used green paint on TOS. Majel being on contract was used for the original screen test to get the colors right before they used them on the guest star. Unfortunately every time they got the film back she looked normal, so they tried a darker green, and went back and forth with the guys who developed the film. Eventually it came out that they were color correcting her, finally they said "oh you wanted her to be green" and the color worked fine from then on.
As for meeting her briefly, someone had put a petition in my hands to get more Lwaxana Troi episodes on the show, I had it for about five minutes and hadn't gotten anyone to sign. I finished talking with someone about something and turned around to see Majel standing behind me. I didn't know what else to say so I told her what the petition was for, and asked her if she'd sign. She politely decline "they probably wouldn't take it very seriously if I signed it."
Why? do you not knowwho she really was?
she was someone who loved laughter and jokes. to suppress laughter would be an outright insult to her.
What is it with people obsessing over being solemn over death. Many cultures use a persons passing to celebrate that persons life.
Only wierd people want to be quiet and sad over a persons passing.
Celebrate her life, celebrate what she gave to the world. and if you have a tasteful joke TELL IT! And drink a toast with friends over her life.
Dont have a quiet moment of reflection. tell a good joke or story, make someone laugh, smile and rejoice.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
that I will truly miss.
I recall watching one or two of the first ST:TNG episodes where Majel wasn't the voice of the computer...it just seemed wrong to me.
I always liked the subtle tongue-in-cheek interaction that Lwoxana and "the computer" would have. If one didn't know that it was her playing both sides, it would seem innocuous. For those of us (most everyone watching Trek I would imagine) that knew, it was a neat little moment.
I think that no one will ever replace her. She executed her role so perfectly, unswayed.
I hope you had a great life, and have an even greater afterlife.
See you on the other side.
No, that was Susan Oliver. The scene was from "The Cage" (the original pilot episode, which became the two-part "The Menagerie").
-Mike
I'm sorry; I don't know what I was thinking!