One of the creative forces behind the original Star Trek is being remembered for his contributions to science fiction and other specialized genres of television.

John Meredyth Lucas — writer, director and producer of the Original Series — died October 19 in Los Angeles of leukemia. He was 83.

Lucas has the singular distinction of being both writer and director on the same Star Trek episode, that being "Elaan of Troyius." He also wrote "The Changeling," "Patterns of Force" and "That Which Survives." His other directorial efforts on Star Trek were "The Ultimate Computer" and "The Enterprise Incident." Lucas was listed as producer during the second season of the three-year run of the show, along with Gene L. Coon.

Lucas contributed his talents to other genre shows including Rod Serling's Night Gallery, The Six Million Dollar Man, the TV versions of Planet of the Apes and Logan's Run, and the short-lived The Invaders and Beyond Westworld. He also worked on other TV classics such as The Fugitive, Ben Casey, Mannix, Quincy and Kojak.

His first writing job in Hollywood was the 1950 "Dark City," which marked Charlton Heston's movie debut.

A full obituary can be found at LATimes.com.

The family has asked that memorial donations be made to the Motion Picture & Television Fund, 22212 Ventura Blvd., Suite 300, Woodland Hills, CA 91364.