Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr. cut the ribbon to formally dedicate a planetarium in El Paso, Texas, named after his late father. It was the culmination of an eventful day in the birthplace of the creator of Star Trek, which the city officially proclaimed to be "Gene Roddenberry Day" (see related story).

The El Paso Independent School District Planetarium was renamed The Gene Roddenberry Planetarium by the school board last November, but the formal dedication ceremony was reserved for October 4, the anniversary of mankind's first foray into space (with the launch of Sputnik in 1957). A cadre of Star Trek celebrities were on hand to witness the event, including Michael Dorn ("Worf") and Marina Sirtis ("Deanna Troi") from the upcoming "Star Trek Nemesis," and Star Trek: Voyager's Robert Picardo ("The Doctor") and Ethan Phillips ("Neelix"). A real-life spaceman, Gemini and Apollo astronaut Dick Gordon — a frequent guest on the Star Trek convention circuit — was also in attendance.

But the spotlight was principally on Roddenberry Jr. (nicknamed "Rod"), whose visit to El Paso was hosted by planetarium director John Peterson. Rod's first stop was 1907 E. Yandell Street, the place where his father was born on August 19, 1921, and lived for nearly two years. There, under the glare of several news cameras, he was met by city council representative Anthony Cobos, who showed him the wooden plaque marking the historical site, which is now home to a flower shop within a strip mall. The visit gave Rod a chance to experience a bit of his father's past, even though the neighborhood is completely different than it was 81 years ago. Afterwards Rod was taken to a local TV station, KTSM, for a news interview.

Then he was brought to the planetarium, where he met up with the celebrities who were in town for the dual purpose of the dedication and a Star Trek convention co-organized by Slanted Fedora Entertainment and KTSM. Under a giant tent erected near the planetarium, a dinner was held that was emceed by KTSM morning show host Dave Garlick, who spoke about Roddenberry's life accomplishments and the significance of his work. "He was undeniably a part of our evolution into a spacefaring society," Garlick said. "Although he did not design any real spaceships, he was one of the people who turned imagination into reality, and whose vision inspired many."

Beaming with pride, the 28-year-old Rod also spoke. "Hearing stories of my father's life, they give me two distinct feelings," he told the crowd of 120 at the ceremony. "It makes me feel like a speck with everything he's done. He has lived ten lives in one." The second feeling regarded how he would carry on his father's legacy. "It's not so much filling shoes, but taking the next steps," he said. He recalled his uncle Bob recounting memories of a young Gene dreaming of space travel even back then. "My father, too, was a nerd," Rod told the chuckling crowd.

Rod's mother, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, could not attend the ceremony, so she sent her sentiments through a letter that was read by Sirtis, appropriately so because she played the daughter of Majel's character "Lwaxana Troi" on Star Trek: The Next Generation. "It always warms my heart when I hear the stories of how so many lives have been forever changed by Gene's vision, and when I think of how that vision continues to carry on," Majel's letter read. "I am so delighted, for because of this, the Official Gene Roddenberry Planetarium, anyone will be able to take a journey into the endless beauty of space and share a little in Gene's vision of a brighter future for all humankind."

Gordon reflected about the connection between science fiction and science fact during the ceremony. "Think of the imagination of this gentleman," said the astronaut, who walked in space on Gemini XI and orbited the moon on Apollo XII. "We had not yet gone to the moon, but he was taking us to other universes."

School district executive Tim Holt, a self-professed Trekkie who originated the idea of redubbing the planetarium after Roddenberry, said the name change is significant. "It will inspire our students because they will wonder who Gene Roddenberry is. When they make the connection of who he was, they will realize that you can be from El Paso and do great things," Holt said.

The ribbon-cutting portion of the ceremony commenced with Councilman Cobos reading the official city proclamation declaring October 4 "Gene Roddenberry Day," and the school board's Sal Mena presenting Rod with a plaque commemorating the event. Rod was then handed the giant scissors, and joined by the real and fictional spacefarers, he made the Gene Roddenberry Planetarium official.

Speaking with STARTREK.COM afterwards, Rod described the El Paso visit as "a very internal experience for me." In particular the visit to Yandell Street "got me a little teary-eyed, and it got me curious — I wondered what the streets looked like, I wondered where he played." He even walked around to the back of the flower shop where the Roddenberry home once stood, hoping to find a "roller skate" or some other artifact from his father's formative years. It was a personal moment that to him was no different from any other individual looking into their parents' past — despite the presence of news agencies. "I was not there for the publicity. I didn't really bother me, because I do want to share my father and his vision with the world, but it was a little awkward having cameras there," he confessed.

Another warm moment came when a resident showed him the local newspaper from August 19, 1921, containing his father's birth announcement, which listed his name as "Eugene Wesley Riddenberry."

Left to right: Michael Dorn, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo, Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr., Marina Sirtis, Dick Gordon.

Photos & story details provided by John Peterson, The Gene Roddenberry Planetarium

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