How Majel Barrett Roddenberry won over the cast of Deep Space Nine

According to Chris Snellgrove
| Published 1 hour ago

Majel Barrett Roddenberry became one of the most consistent parts of the Golden Age of Star Trek, voicing the ship’s computer and playing Lwaxana Troi in A new generation and Deep Space Nine. It was actually a big deal when she first came to DS9 in the episode “The Forsaken” because in addition to being a pre-established character, she was the wife of the late, great Gene Roddenberry. It might have been a cheesy cameo, but according to show stars like Armin Shimerman, she immediately won everyone over and “really looked like someone coming home to a sleepover.”

Majel Barrett was no diva

Speaking of Shimerman, he described how much he was “looking forward” to playing with her Deep Space Nine. Thankfully, it sounds like the experience lived up to his expectations, describing how “she was great to work with” and that “she was nice, she was kind, and she was fun.” It sounds like he was worried she might have a little trouble fitting in at first, but the Quark actor described how “she was so at home in those scenes.”

Of course, Armin Shimerman truly loved everything about his experience working with Majel Barrett Roddenberry and his opinion was shared by everyone they worked on Deep Space Nine. According to him, “the crew adores her and has been so considerate.” Perhaps borrowing a bit of openness from his Ferengi character, Shimerman then said the silent part aloud: “given her position in the cosmology Star Trekshe was a very, very considerate person.”

Reading between the lines, it sounds like Shimerman was pointing out that Majel Barrett Roddenberry, as the wife of franchise creator Gene Roddenberry, could have been a complete prima donna (if not outright bully) when she came to Deep Space Nine. She was the wife of Trek’s highest authority figure, and after his untimely death in 1991, she essentially carried his authority whenever she was on set. Instead of asserting her authority to assert her own, she immediately impressed everyone with her kindness and grace.

Great performance

As much as everyone was impressed with Majel Barrett Roddenberry’s kindness, they were equally impressed with her acting talent, which is why she was invited back to Deep Space Nine for two more later episodes. In The Forsaken, actor Odo Rene Auberjonois enjoyed bringing the relationship between his changeling and her telepath to dazzling life. “Through his relationship with Lwaxana, the audience was introduced to an aspect of him that made him endearing and they really connected with him,” he said.

In addition, Majel Barrett Roddenberry impressed Michael Piller, who was the showrunner and co-creator Deep Space Dev. According to Piller, “Majel was at her warmest and most wonderful as Mrs. Troi.” Elaborating, he noted how she “went from being the woman you can’t imagine being stuck in an elevator with to the best companion you could ever have.”

The last comment refers to the plot of “The Forsaken”, in which a flirtatious Lwaxana Troi follows Odo into a turbolift, in which they are stuck due to a bizarre system failure. Odo is increasingly terrified that his shape-shifting self will have to return to liquid form, telling Troi that no one has ever seen him like this. This causes her to take off her wig and say that no one has ever seen her like this, and that’s enough for Odo to transform into his liquid form in her lap in a sweetly intimate moment.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget about Majel Barrett Roddenberry Deep Space Nine episodes because the show is remembered more for things like hers War of supremacy arc. Still, she was one of the best parts of the early show and helped bring out the best in the show’s regular cast. And thanks to the cast and showrunner Piller, we now know that Roddenberry herself is just as impressive as her character when it comes to winning over every cast and crew member she encounters.