Ayn Rand and Gene Roddenberry

I have scoured the internet searching for quotes from Ayn Rand regarding Gene Roddenberry and Star Trek, and have come up blank. I know that Gene Roddenberry had read Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged; he has been quoted saying so. I am wondering, however, if Ayn Rand had ever watched Star Trek and had ever been quoted saying something about it.

P.S. I have also searched all of my books on Ayn Rand, and I own all of those that could possibly contain such a quote as the one I am looking for.

Thank you, in advance, for any assistance.
ProfKSergeev

Post 1

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 12:58am

Lauren, if you have no objection, I am adding your question to my list of questions that I'll respond to in future Holding Court columns. I think many other Soloists will also be interested in the answer.

Barbara

Post 2

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 10:41am

Barbara, thank you for adding this to your agenda.

I, for one, am much interested in this connection. Every now and then there would be an objectivist theme in the old Star Trek. And I'm not sure if Roddenberry had personally originated the concept of The Borg (new Star Trek) -- but I have not seen a more exacting illumination of the perils of collectivism -- in video format.

Does anyone know if The Borg (a more recent theme) came directly from Roddenberry's writing?

Ed

Post 3

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 10:58am

No objection whatsoever. Thank you!

Lauren Oliver

Post 4

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 2:11pm

A.R. stated that she didn't care for modern science fiction. She was probably fairly oblivious to Star Trek. It certainly was a brilliant show, though.

___________________________________
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Post 5

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 2:39pm

Ed asked:

Does anyone know if The Borg (a more recent theme) came directly from Roddenberry's writing?

He isn't listed as scriptwriter on any of the early Borg episodes, but he was Executive Producer on The Next Generation when they were introduced, so I'm no expert on US television production but I guess he would have approved of the concept?

Being something of a science fiction nerd, I too have wondered what Rand thought of Star Trek, especially as there are some Objectivist-friendly themes and episodes (as Ed suggests) but there also seem to be vague indications of currency having been abolished on earth etc, so I'll await Barbara's response with interest :-)

MH

(Edited by Matthew Humphreys on 6/18, 2:40pm)

Post 6

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 2:56pm

All I know is that Gene Roddenberry was conversant with Rand's novels and presumably Objectivism in general. It is highly probable that he even named a character in the original series after her: Yeoman Janice Rand. Could be a coincidence, but I doubt it.

Lauren Oliver

Post 7

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 3:09pm

Matthew - regarding currency being abolished: was that in the original series? I recall distinctly that notion appearing in one or more of the movies, but I'm not sure about the original series.

Post 8

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 3:34pm

Kernon,

You've set me thinking now...it's definitely mentioned by Kirk in The Voyage Home movie, and I think in an episode in The Next Generation where they find some cryogenically frozen people from the twentieth century (can't remember the episode title).

But having said that, some races outside the Federation do have currency (latinum on Deep Space 9 for example), and the Starfleet officers seem able to make use of this. So perhaps the Federation simply abolished currency as we know it now?

MH

Post 9

Saturday, June 18, 2005 - 3:54pm

Matthew - I recall the things you mentioned. But I don't attribute it to anything much other than different writers generating inconsistencies. For example (although this was actually a book), I recall distinctly a situation where Kirk had spent his Federation PAY on buying land on a particular planet. Kind of hard to do if money had been completely abolished!

In the one movie I recall (the one with the whales), the comment about "backward" Earth people still using money seemed really to be there just to create an atmosphere of cultural 'shock' for the Enterprise crew who found themselves back in time. But, to me anyway, it seemed kind of jarring and unnecessary.

Post 10

Sunday, June 19, 2005 - 3:17pm

If any of you self proclaimed geeks ever get to Seattle, come meet me at the Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame, they just added a full size borg along with the head of Locutus to the display. And they just celebrated their 1st year anniversary last night! Since I'm a member, I got to go, it was nice. They also have a display for SPACE SHIP ONE that the founder of the museum, Paul Allen, funded. It really is a great place.

http://www.sfhomeworld.org/

Post 11

Tuesday, June 21, 2005 - 8:01am

I should imagine that if Rand were aware of Star Trek she would have admired the heroic aspects, the exploration and the struggle against the odds, but would have been horrified by the incessant glorification of altuism.

edited for grammar

(Edited by Robert Davison on 6/21, 8:23am)

Post 12

Tuesday, July 5, 2005 - 10:01pm

Ms. Branden, I just read your answer to my question in the "Holding Court" column. Thanks for getting to it so quickly, and I very much appreciate your response. In all its incarnations - the original series, The Next Generation, etc. - Star Trek is at its best when dealing with moral problems resolved by man's rational mind, just what you enjoyed it for. It is also one of the few programs with an optimistic opinion of technology; on more than a few occasions, an item of technology is essential to the plot and to the hero's resolution of the conflict.

You probably already know this, but Roddenberry named a character after Ayn: Yeoman Janice Rand. She was a rather inconsequential player in the series, but undoubtedly was named in tribute to the author. Thanks again for your response to my question!

Lauren Oliver

Post 13

Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 1:47pm

I don't know, I'm a DS9 and Enterprise fan myself and Star Trek seemed to toss subjectivism out the windows after The Next Generation.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Waltz, last lines of the show

Sisko:
You know something, old man...
there are times when life seems
so complicated. Nothing is truly
good or truly evil. You start to
think that everything is shades
of gray. Then you spend time with
a man like Dukat... and you
realize there is really such a
thing as truly evil.

Dax:
Realizing that is one thing...
doing something about it is
another. So what are you going to
do, Benjamin?

Sisko:
I'll tell you what I'm not going
to do -- I'm not going to let him
destroy Bajor. So from now on...
it's him or me.

Post 14

Wednesday, July 6, 2005 - 10:43pm