Gene Coon was a writer and producer on Star Trek. Over the years he has become known as “The Forgotten Gene” or “The Other Gene” often getting confused with series creator Gene Roddenberry.
The Impact of Gene Coon
But Coon’s impact on the original series is immeasurable. He is credited as developing some of the cornerstones on which the Star Trek Universe is built. The Federation, the Prime Directive and the Klingons are just a few of his creations. While Coon did not insert these concepts into the show to create a more layered tapestry, that is exactly what the result was.
His episodes portrayed a more enlightened Federation and they often ended with an anti-war allegory.
Fan Favorites
Coon also wrote or produced some of the most memorable episodes of the show’s three-year run. They consistently show up on lists of fans favorite shows. These include episodes such as Arena, Space Seed, A Taste of Armageddon, The City of the Edge of Forever, Mirror, Mirror and The Doomsday Machine.
A Lighter Tone
On the episodes that Coon wrote or produced, you can notice a lighter tone. There was more subtle humor, more close interactions between the characters and more banter.
Ultimately Gene Coon’s lighter feel didn’t line up with the direction Roddenberry wanted to take the show and the two parted ways in March 1968, half-way through the second season.
He continued to write for Star Trek, though, penning several more episodes under the pseudonym ‘Lee Cronin.’ He adopted this alias in order to fulfill his contract with Paramount.
Coon touched or wrote some of the best of shows Star Trek had to offer. His writing is marked by the heart and feeling that his characters showed on screen, along with a sense of humor.
He died of lung and throat cancer one week after being diagnosed, in July 1973. He was just 49-years-old. The movie Free Enterprise acknowledges Gene Coon with a reference to the “Forgotten Gene.”
Co-hosts Bob Turner and Kelly Casto discuss Gene Coon and his Star Trek legacy on this episode of 70s Trek.
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