'Family,' then, was highlighting everything that Roddenberry didn’t want Star Trek to be, showing what most people would describe as vulnerability and relatability, where he would call flaws. On this note, he apparently wasn’t a fan of casting Patrick Stewart as the leading role in TNG, ( neither was lifelong friend Ian McKellen, apparently) calling him a “bald, middle-aged Englishman” - far from the supposed “perfect” man of the future. The perfect captain for Roddenberry was Kirk, with his handsome physique, and strong jaw lines. This went so far as them being aesthetically perfect too. People of the future were supposed to be perfect, and that went doubly for Starfleet and Starfleet captains.

He created the Federation, and a world that ran based on principles and self development rather than money, but more importantly one where the issues surrounding ableism, discrimination, and racism were all but irradiated. When Roddenberry first created Star Trek, it was with the intention of showing a utopian vision of the future, one where all the so-called “evils” of modern society had been eradicated. RELATED: Star Trek: The History Of The Vulcans, Explained Roddenberry apparently hated the episode, supposedly for not being “24th century” enough. The episode focuses on the crew of the Enterprise trying to get back to some sense of normality after their fight with the ( back then still scary) Borg and the assimilation, and subsequent de-assimilation, of Captain Picard. Before his passing in 1992, Roddenberry had already become disillusioned with what producers and writers were doing with the TNG, culminating in the episode “family” from season 4. What is most interesting about this question is that it’s not looking into whether he would have liked the new shows, as the answer would most likely have been no.

Star trek creator roddenberry