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173.11.36.165 Since: Dec, 1969
May 10th 2010 at 12:49:51 PM •••

Isn't it a little out of character for such an anti-capitalist as Gene Roddenberry to do something like that purely for money?

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AnonymousMcCartneyfan Since: Jan, 2001
May 10th 2010 at 1:10:27 PM •••

It was for The Original Series. Roddenberry's vision was stronger than his finances — which explains the Special Effect Failures — and a producer has to eat. Besides, you weren't supposed to be anti-capitalist in America in the 1960s; and Roddenberry went along with the establishment back then. (See "The Way to Eden" for evidence.)

The Animated Series was likely done for cash, too.

There is a fine line between recklessness and courage — Paul McCartney
Sullivan Since: Jan, 2001
Jun 22nd 2010 at 1:26:21 PM •••

I don't think Roddenberry was anti-capitalist for the present. He imagined a future in which energy (and, by extension, everything else) would be so cheap that humanity would be so wealthy that ... well, you can see the result. But for the present he was very pragmatic and lived in very good style up in the Hollywood Hills.

And he probably foresaw Desilu/Paramount's creative accounting department, which last I heard was still insisting that they didn't owe any royalties to Roddenberry for TOS - "sorry, you're in a part of the spreadsheet that's still in the red." Writing "lyrics never meant to be heard" for the main theme ensures that his estate gets a little something every time an episode runs on TV. At least as long as the music copyright and royalty folks aren't as creative as Paramount's accounting.

Still, that was a pretty crappy thing to do to Alexander Courage. The song royalties of course are divided between them; they're not doubled first just because there are two payees.

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