By Chris Snellgrove | Published
Majel Barrett Roddenberry became one of the most enduring parts of Star Trek’s golden age, voicing the ship’s computer and playing the role of Lwaxana Troi The next generation And Deep Space Nine. It was actually a big deal when she first came to DS9 in the episode “The Forsaken” because not only was she a pre-made character, but she was also the wife of the late, great Gene Roddenberry. It could have been an exciting cameo, but according to series stars like Armin Shimerman, she immediately won everyone over and “really looked like someone coming home to rest.”
Majel Barrett was no diva
Speaking of Shimerman, he described how excited he was to work with her Deep Space Nine. Luckily, the experience seemed to have lived up to his expectations, and he described how “she was great to work with” and that “she was sweet, friendly and funny.” It sounds like he was worried that she might have difficulty settling in at first, but the Quark actor described how “she felt so at home on those sets.”
Armin Shimerman obviously enjoyed everything about his experience working with Majel Barrett Roddenberry, and his opinion was shared by everyone who worked on it Deep Space Nine. According to him, “the crew adored her and she was so considerate.” Leaning perhaps a little bluntly on his Ferengi character, Shimerman then said the quiet part out loud: “Given her position in Star Trek’s cosmology, she was a very, very considerate person.”
Reading between the lines, it sounds like Shimerman is trying to point out that Majel Barrett Roddenberry, as the wife of franchise creator Gene Roddenberry, could have been a complete prima donna (if not an outright tyrant) when she came into her own Deep Space Nine. She was the wife of the ultimate Trek authority, and after his untimely death in 1991, she essentially carried his authority whenever she was on set. However, instead of using that authority to get her way, she immediately impressed everyone with her kindness and grace.
A great performance
As much as everyone was impressed by Majel Barrett Roddenberry’s kindness, they were also impressed by her talents as an actress, so she was invited back Deep Space Nine for two more later episodes. In The Forsaken, Odo actor Rene Auberjonois enjoyed brilliantly bringing the relationship between his shapeshifter and her telepath to life. “Through his relationship with Lwaxana, the audience got to know an aspect of him that made him endearing and they really connected with him,” he said.
Additionally, Majel Barrett Roddenberry impressed Michael Piller, the showrunner and co-creator of Deep Space Nine. According to Piller, “Majel was at her warmest and most wonderful as Mrs. Troi.” He explained how “she goes from the woman you can’t imagine being stuck in an elevator with to the best companion you’ll ever have can.”
The latter comment refers to the plot of “The Forsaken”, in which a flirtatious Lwaxana follows Troi Odo into a turbolift where they are stuck due to a bizarre system glitch. Odo becomes increasingly freaked out about his changing self having to return to a liquid form, and he tells Troi that no one has ever seen him like this before. This causes her to take off her wig and say that no one has ever seen her like this, and that is enough to cause Odo to transform into his liquid form on her lap in a sweet, intimate moment.
Sometimes it’s easy to forget about Majel Barrett Roddenberry’s Deep Space Nine Episodes because the series is more remembered for things like the Dominion War arc. Still, she was one of the best roles of the first series and helped bring out the best in the series’ regular cast. And thanks to actors and showrunner Piller, we now know that Roddenberry herself was just as impressive as her character when it came to winning over every single cast and crew member she encountered.