Roddenberry’s Widow Still Nurturing His Dreams

As far as “Star Trek” fans are concerned, she’ll forever be Lwaxana Troi, Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx, Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed and an all-around imposing presence.

These days, though, Majel Barrett Roddenberry spends most of her time as herself - faithful Holder of the Sacred Chalice of the Genius of Gene Roddenberry.

She’s still an imposing presence, even sitting in a Manhattan hotel room nursing a cold and watching, of all things, “Columbo” reruns.

But still, as always, she is discussing her late husband’s legacy. It is her mission.

She never forgets it. It even overrides her own beliefs.

“I’m not a big believer in space people, but there has to be something up there. Otherwise, it’s a whole big waste of space,” says Roddenberry, whose late husband courted her on the set of the original “Star Trek” series he created.

In it, she played Nurse Christine Chapel, forever in unrequited love with the emotionally stunted Mr. Spock.

Roddenberry is positively bristling with enthusiasm for her latest effort, “Gene Roddenberry’s Earth: Final Conflict,” developed from that most coveted of properties: a freshly discovered Roddenberry script.

“Earth: Final Conflict” has a premise and an intensity that just might serve it well. It features a near-future cop, William Boone (Kevin Kilner), who has lost his ex-wife to a conspiracy, plus an an entire lineup of shady characters, some earthly, some not.

Most prominent are the “companions,” telepathically powerful aliens who call themselves Taelon. They profess pure benevolence but may not be what they say.

The production company has received a syndication commitment for 22 episodes, and Roddenberry is certain the show will prove itself by then, even given people’s, well, expectations.

“Sure they’ll expect ‘Star Trek,’ but they’re not going to get it, that’s all,” she says. “But they’re going to get good stories, good drama. And the same vision.”

“‘Star Trek’ was all a fluke, and it will never happen again. Gene just wanted to have a show that would stay on the air until next year.

“When he failed, he’d just chalk it up and go forward again. And I don’t have much more to go on than that,” Roddenberry says.