Eugene Wesley "Rod" Roddenberry Jr. (born February 5, 1974 in Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

) is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 television producer

Television producer

The primary role of a television Producer is to allow all aspects of video production, ranging from show idea development and cast hiring to shoot supervision and fact-checking...

 and the only son of Star Trek

Star Trek

Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...

creator Gene Roddenberry

Gene Roddenberry

Eugene Wesley "Gene" Roddenberry was an American television screenwriter, producer and futurist, best known for creating the American science fiction series Star Trek. Born in El Paso, Texas, Roddenberry grew up in Los Angeles, California where his father worked as a police officer...

 and actress Majel Barrett

Majel Barrett

Majel Barrett-Roddenberry was an American actress and producer. She is perhaps best known for her role as Nurse Christine Chapel in the original Star Trek series, Lwaxana Troi on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and for being the voice of most onboard computer interfaces throughout the series...

. He is known for his work in science fiction

Science fiction

Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...

, astronomy

Astronomy

Astronomy is a natural science that deals with the study of celestial objects and phenomena that originate outside the atmosphere of Earth...

 and space exploration

Space exploration

Space exploration is the use of space technology to explore outer space. Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft....

. In 2009, Roddenberry along with Greg Martin created the Roddenberry Dive Team dedicated to the exploration, education and preservation of the Earth's oceans.

Filmography

• Executive produced and narrated Trek Nation
  Trek Nation
  This article is about a documentary film. For the Trek news and community website, see TrekNation.Trek Nation is a documentary film directed by Scott Colthorp examining the positive impact that Star Trek and creator Gene Roddenberry may have had on people's lives as seen through the eyes of Rod...
  
  (2006), a documentary marking the 40th Anniversary of Star Trek
  Star Trek
  Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
  
  . Includes various interviews with fans, actors, scientists, writers and producers, examining the positive influences that the series has had on people's lives.
• Wrote an episode of Earth: Final Conflict
  Earth: Final Conflict
  Earth: Final Conflict is a Canadian science fiction television series based on story ideas created by Gene Roddenberry, and produced under the guidance of his widow, Majel Barrett-Roddenberry. It was not produced, filmed or broadcast until after his death...
  
  , which was also produced through his production company
  Production company
  A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
  
  , Kirschner/Roddenberry Productions.
• Worked as production assistant on Star Trek: The Next Generation
  Star Trek: The Next Generation
  Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
  
  
• Consulted on, and helped promote, the Star Trek fan series Star Trek: New Voyages
  Star Trek: New Voyages
  Star Trek New Voyages: Phase II is a fan-created science fiction series set in the Star Trek universe. The series was created by James Cawley and Jack Marshall in April 2003...
  
  (2004).

Education

• Attended the John Thomas Dye School
  John Thomas Dye School
  The John Thomas Dye School, nicknamed JTD, is an independent private coeducational nonsectarian elementary day school located in the Bel-Air area of Los Angeles, California, serving students in kindergarten through sixth grade....
  
   in Bel-Air and Harvard-Westlake School
  Harvard-Westlake School
  Harvard-Westlake School is an independent, co-educational university preparatory day school consisting of two campuses located in Los Angeles, California with approximately 1,600 students enrolled in grades 7 through 12....
  
   in North Hollywood, CA.
• Attended Hampshire College
  Hampshire College
  Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1965 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and the University of Massachusetts...
  
   in the early 1990s.

Philanthropy

Eugene "Rod" Roddenberry in 2010 decided to establish The Roddenberry Foundation. In partnership with Mort Kessler and Andy Garb, two close family friends and lifelong advisors, Rod outlined the foundation’s mission and philanthropic strategy, building the Roddenberry legacy beyond the Star Trek universe, turning science fiction into science fact, and creating tangible and meaningful change in communities.

Together with the foundation’s Directors, Advisory Board, staff and consultants, Rod adds his passion, dedication and daily commitment to Gene’s legacy of timeless compassion, providing critical support to quality organizations working in the areas of science and technology, the environment, education and humanitarian advances.

In 2011 a generous gift of $5 million to the J. David Gladstone Institutes, in San Francisco, enabled the creation of the Roddenberry Stem Cell Center at Gladstone. This center will focus on harnessing the power of stem cells to discover new therapies to advance in human medical science.

External links

• Rod Roddenberry at the Internet Movie Database
• http://www.roddenberry.com/
• http://www.roddenberrydiveteam.com/ Official site of the Roddenberry Dive Team
• The Official Roddenberry Productions Myspace Maintained by the Roddenberry.Com Team.