Majel Barrett-Roddenberry (23 February 1932 – 18 December 2008

This didn't make big news, though it should have...Majel Barrett-Roddenberry passed away on December 18th, 2008, at the age of 76, after a short battle with leukemia. Majel had a role in every Star Trek series from the original pilot "The Cage" (as "Number One", the coldly efficient First Officer whose character traits were mainly transferred to Mr. Spock), to Nurse (later Doctor) Christine Chapel in the original series and movies, the mother of Counselor Deanna Troi, Lwaxana Troi, on both Star Trek The Next Generation and Star Trek Deep Space Nine. She was also the voice of the computer on each series, with appearances of the Enterprise-D and TOS-era "Defiant" on Star Trek Enterprise. She also voiced Nurse Chapel and dozen other characters (and the computer) on the animated Star Trek. Prior to her death she voiced the computer once again for J.J. Abrams upcoming 11th "Star Trek" movie.

Majel Barrett married Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1969, and they were together until his death in 1991. She continued her appearances in "Star Trek", produced "Earth: Final Conflict" and "Andromeda" (based on the unpublished works of Roddenberry), attended conventions, and kept "Star Trek" going throughout it's over four decade (and counting) run, even lending her voice once again to the computer on the fan produced series "Star Trek Phase II" (formerly "Star Trek New Voyages").

She was affectionately known as "The First Lady of Star Trek", and indeed made an impact on every incarnation of Trek, through even a year after her passing ("Star Trek", the new movie, will be released in July 2009).

She joins late Star Trek actors James Doohan ("Scotty"), DeForest Kelley ("Dr. McCoy"), Merritt Butrick ("Dr. David Marcus"), Paul Winfield ("Capt. Clark Terrell/Dathon"), Persis Khambatta ("Lt. Ilia"), Bibi Besch ("Dr. Carol Marcus"), John Colicos ("Kor", and "Baltar" on the original "Battlestar Galactica"), and many others from all the series and movies...and rejoins her late husband, the "Great Bird of the Galaxy", Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry.

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