10 Times Gene Roddenberry Hated Star Trek

10. Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

It may come as a surprise to many Trek fans that one of the most beloved movies in the franchise, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan was actually disliked by Roddenberry for many reasons.

Although The Motion Picture made money, it was received poorly by critics and general audiences, most people finding it a bit boring and pretentious, some even going as far as to dub it "The Motionless Picture." It became clear to the studio that, in order to reinvigorate Star Trek, they would need to go in a radically different direction for the next film. They took a lot of Gene's creative control away, instead letting Harve Bennett take the lead for the new script.

Roddenberry was, of course, upset with having his control taken away, though his biggest issue with the film was the supposed "militarization" of Starfleet. He hated the violence in the film and thought that the Genesis Device was a ridiculous idea. Whether or not he was right, today, The Wrath Of Khan is regarded as one of Trek's best stories. The introduction of a strong villain (a classic from The Original Series, no less) showed that Trek can be exciting and fun, while still smart.