Was Gene Roddenberry a time traveller?

He created Star Trek, started a huge cultural shift toward equality, and through his show predicted dozens of "science fiction" technologies that became reality. Cellphones for one thing. If I'm remembering correctly, Martin Cooper's inspiration while developing the first cell phone was a communicator from Star Trek. Tri-corders? Optical tweezers? Phaser guns? Telepresence?
The list goes on and on.

I'm not one of those crackpot conspiracy theorists, but I've often flirted with the idea that maybe, just maybe, Gene Roddenberry was sent from the future and decided to make a TV show about it

reply to post by SpongeBeard


It is certainly uncanny that we have star trek type technology. I read on ATS that technological science research is ever closer to creating fully functioning teleportation devices.

I always thought of him as a Sci-Fi writer myself. The reason we have cell phones is because of Star trek though, it made people desire completely portable communication devices and this led to what we have today. Star Trek also had portable internet devices capable of linking to the ships computer. Wireless internet.

Trekkies desires to have this technology has led to the creation of it. Sci-fi does get us motivated to create things. I am sure NASA uses television to steer people to support their ventures, so do other sciences. The pictures from the Hubble telescope available on the net can help to keep us funding these programs as we all benefit from the technology costs.

Gene actually altered the future, completely opposite of what you are saying.

reply to post by SpongeBeard


Probably not, unless he was sent back as a baby. Then how would he know about such things? Also I don't think a time traveler would volunteer to fight in a war.

I just think he had a great imagination, was forward thinking and an optimist.

reply to post by rickymouse


Other popular fiction had "cell phones" before Trek...Dick Tracy comes to mind.

reply to post by SpongeBeard


But if he went back in time and did something as drastic as creating a series about technology in the future, thus sparking a demand for this technology sooner, how do we know the future would not change so he does not travel back in time?

This is why time travel in impossible, the Butterfly Effect.

Sorry to put a stamp on your theory, it was entertaining to think he was

DP

RedParrotHead
reply to post by rickymouse

 

Other popular fiction had "cell phones" before Trek...Dick Tracy comes to mind.

In "Get Smart" he had a shoe phone. That never got popular. Watches being communication devices were in a few old shows also, that is coming into reality.

reply to post by SpongeBeard


I'm not sure about that, but I think he was a great visionary,and extremely creative.
He was talented enough to create a future that is slowly but surely coming to life today.

Or perhaps some things were created because they were seen on Star Trek and inspired people, it could be visa versa.
Who knows?

SpongeBeard
He created Star Trek, started a huge cultural shift toward equality, and through his show predicted dozens of "science fiction" technologies that became reality. Cellphones for one thing. If I'm remembering correctly, Martin Cooper's inspiration while developing the first cell phone was a communicator from Star Trek. Tri-corders? Optical tweezers? Phaser guns? Telepresence?
The list goes on and on.

I'm not one of those crackpot conspiracy theorists, but I've often flirted with the idea that maybe, just maybe, Gene Roddenberry was sent from the future and decided to make a TV show about it

Roddenberry was simply the culmination of a decade or so of science fiction before Star Trek. Just look at the flick The Day The Earth Stood Still 1951. There is a good deal of Star Trek in that movie and it came out 15 years before ST. Federation of Planets, lasers and much more.

Another example would be the Forbidden Planet 1956. Laser guns, communicators ect.

SpongeBeard
He created Star Trek, started a huge cultural shift toward equality, and through his show predicted dozens of "science fiction" technologies that became reality. Cellphones for one thing. If I'm remembering correctly, Martin Cooper's inspiration while developing the first cell phone was a communicator from Star Trek. Tri-corders? Optical tweezers? Phaser guns? Telepresence?
The list goes on and on.

I'm not one of those crackpot conspiracy theorists, but I've often flirted with the idea that maybe, just maybe, Gene Roddenberry was sent from the future and decided to make a TV show about it

From my point of view he was a spiritual non dualist that could see beyond Platos cave and probably had experience with the unknown. The ideas to the stories and the knowledge that humans are not on the top as we think are what intrigues me in Star Trek. I am not as impressed with the technologies since they are not really hard to predict if you can imagine being a telepathic being that can materialize things out of free will.

Have you read HG Wells-The Time machine,now that was visionary. In the far distant future the earth is next to a red sun with giant crabs roaming around. Lol

rickymouse

RedParrotHead
reply to post by rickymouse

 

Other popular fiction had "cell phones" before Trek...Dick Tracy comes to mind.

In "Get Smart" he had a shoe phone. That never got popular. Watches being communication devices were in a few old shows also, that is coming into reality.

Who really wants to put a shoe to their face and talk into it anyway?
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SpongeBeard
He created Star Trek, started a huge cultural shift toward equality, and through his show predicted dozens of "science fiction" technologies that became reality. Cellphones for one thing. If I'm remembering correctly, Martin Cooper's inspiration while developing the first cell phone was a communicator from Star Trek. Tri-corders? Optical tweezers? Phaser guns? Telepresence?
The list goes on and on.

I'm not one of those crackpot conspiracy theorists, but I've often flirted with the idea that maybe, just maybe, Gene Roddenberry was sent from the future and decided to make a TV show about it

Funny you mention that, I remember watching a documentary many years back, I would've had to been in my teens and they asked a director (can't remember I believe they said of Area 51) about what was going on there, he kept saying no comment, but at the very end of the interview which I remember quite clearly he said "i'll tell you this...have you ever seen star wars and star trek? The interviewers said yea, well we've been there done that. We are doing things that your mind can't comprehend 20 years from now" that was all he said. Think about that comment. Our programmed minds couldn't comprehend what he is mentioning for at least 20 years. This was back during 95-98 time frame.

How far has technology came since then? It's well known that technology the public is using is 40-50 years behind the military so one can only imagine what awaits us in the future.

This is interesting as Gene Roddenberry included many time traveling exploits in his many Star Trek franchises. One of the first I remember, was Star Trek's (TOS) "Assignment: Earth" with Robert Lansing as Gary Seven and Terri Garr. It was about a man from 6,000 years in the future sent back to save earth from various foul ups. It was supposed to be one of the first spin-offs of Star Trek (TOS).

en.wikipedia.org...:_Earth

Now, I'm wondering???? Could that have been a glimpse of the real Gene Wesley Roddenberry?

I don't think our conventional notions of time travel had anything to do with it. I think its more likely that his paranormal / psychic experiences inspired him. That's how it happens with many, many creative people.

Author Phyllis V. Schlemmer— The True Source of Gene Roddenberry's Inspiration

A renowned psychic, medium, astrologer and healer, Phyllis is loved by many all across the globe. As the medium for The Elohim, she has also consulted to and helped inspire other notable authors to include Andre Norton, Sybil Leek and Stuart Holrod.

reply to post by SpongeBeard


If he was a time traveler, he should have known the X amount of Star Trek games that sucked that were released. (Not counting the few good ones, the very, very few good ones.) He should have also known what Star Trek would turn into (nothing but shiny metal and lens flairs). Besides, Gene Roddenberry wasn't the one behind the tech in Trek, people like Michael Okuda was.

All Gene did was have an idea for a show, pitch it and voila. Everyone else that worked for him came up with the ideas for the tech you refer to.

I was a huge Trekkie. Had three uniforms (TNG, DS9/Nemesis and a custom TOS Movie era) and a plethora of props, books (like the technical manuals), models, you name it. I even had a Nokia N800 internet tablet set up to look like a PADD with LCARS.

But to answer your question: No, Gene was no time traveler.

reply to post by SpongeBeard


I think if Gene Roddenberry was a time traveler, then he probably hitchhiked with Arthur C Clarke. That bloke gave birth to so many bits of kit and ideas which made our understanding of satellites, and indeed successful space travel possible. If Roddenberry was traveling in time, then Clarke was the one driving if you ask me, and I say that as a total Trekkie.