The success of Star Trek was a big first for Gene Roddenberry in Hollywood

When “Star Trek” debuted in 1966, no one could have known the impact it would have not only on the world of television, but on pop culture as a whole. Since then, the series has spawned numerous spin-offs, a dozen movies, and more fan fiction than any human can read. Captain James Tiberius Kirk (William Shatner) and the rest of the crew of the USS Enterprise are recognizable to everyone, even if they haven't seen the series. The show's impact was immense, and in 1985, series creator Gene Roddenberry received a special honor for his role in it all.

Plenty of movie stars and directors have been immortalized on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, their names placed on plaques inside giant stars along the walkway, but Roddenberry is the first television writer and/or producer to earn a spot. (Not to be confused with the other “walk of fame” where stars place their hands and footprints on the cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater, right across from Bruce Lee's Walk of Fame star.) Let's see. In Roddenberry's tradition, the Hollywood star was the first to have his ashes sent into space.

Roddenberry was the first TV creator to receive a star on the Walk of Fame, and his ceremony took place on September 4, 1985. “Star Trek” has not yet developed into a full franchise, only the original series and “Star Trek”. : The Animated Series,” and three movies, but all still revolved around Kirk's Enterprise crew. Two years later the franchise would expand with “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” though only Roddenberry agreed. Part of it is rage. Unfortunately, he would not live to see all that would one day become the owner and died just a few years later in October 1991.

The “Star Trek” creator would receive many accolades after his death, being inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame in 2007, along with writer Gene Wolfe, director Ridley Scott and visual artist Ed Emschwiller. He was also inducted into the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Hall of Fame in 2010.

Perhaps the most impressive of his posthumous achievements is that both Roddenberry and his wife, Majel Barrett Roddenberry, were cremated into space in 1997 and were among the first people to be “buried” in space.

It's fitting that Roddenberry sent his remains to the stars, as characters who have died on “Star Trek” over the years have been commonly honored. (Usually they're sent into space in a cool-looking casket, but hey, we're still in the 2020s.) Although Roddenberry hasn't had a hit since “Star Trek,” his contribution to science fiction with this one series is enormous. “Star Trek” has been a cultural touchstone for many, and Roddenberry's progressive ideals help influence us not only as a whole, but as individuals. “Star Trek” fans have helped quantify the feeling of being different, regardless of race. Gender identity or sexuality. Without Roddenberry initially creating the series and sticking to his guns on his progressive principles, none of that would have happened.