Inside the Mind of Gene Roddenberry - Book Review

Gene Roddenberry is one of the reasons I became a writer. The rich mythology that is the Star Trek universe that he created over forty years ago captured my imagination when I was a child, and has kept me enthralled ever since.

In the weeks and months leading up to his death, writer Yvonne Fern spent a great deal of time with Roddenberry, trying to find out what made the man tick. The end result was Inside the Mind of Gene Roddenberry, known elsewhere as Gene Roddenberry: The Last Conversation.

To find out more about the man, Fern became part of Roddenberry’s inner circle, living with him and his wife Majel Barrett, talking to him each and every day about his life, his beliefs, the events of the past and his hopes for the future not just of Star Trek, but of humanity itself. As the book goes along it’s obvious that Roddenberry and Fern develop a deep-felt respect for each other, and it’s this respect and love that Fern has for Roddenberry as a friend that allows her to tell what is a very emotional story at the end, as the Great Bird of the Galaxy loses his battle for life.

Roddenberry comes across as deep thinking man, passionate about everything that is dear to him, whether it be his work, his friends or his family, and it’s obvious that without this passion Star Trek would never have happened.

You don’t need to be an avid Star Trek fan to enjoy this book. All you need is an open mind and an open heart. Once you have these you will simply be touched by the thoughts of one of the great writers of the late twentieth century.