By Chris Snellgrove | Published
One of the sexiest characters in Star Trek history is Nurse Chapel. These days, that character is played by Jess Bush Strange New Worldswhere he enjoys the conflict with Dr. M'Benga and the unpleasant romance with Mr. Spock. But in The Original SeriesChapel was played by Majel Barrett, one of the franchise's most powerful forces. Barrett previously played number one in the first Star Trek pilot and went on to voice the Enterprise computer. Later, she was cast as Lwaxana Troi, the overbearing mother to Betazed's mentor, Deanna Troi.
As you can tell, Star Trek was very good for Majel Barrett. However, that is not so surprising when you consider who her husband was. When The Original Series first, she was dating franchise creator Gene Roddenberry, the man she would later marry. Roddenberry was more than happy to put him on Trek wherever he could, but there was a problem: NBC had already rejected the Trek pilot, and they didn't want to see Barrett play a different role. He solved this problem by dying his hair and experimenting under a different name, a gamble he knew would work because his new blonde hair fooled the man who knew him best: Gene Roddenberry!
Gene's Number One Gal
Majel Barrett's introduction to Star Trek is an emotional and chaotic story. She became the wife of Gene Roddenberry, someone who was already married and had two children. Roddenberry was completely in a relationship (he went on to marry) and was enthusiastic about writing for her on Trek. He was so enthusiastic that when he wrote “The Cage,” the first Trek pilot, he wrote Barrett's most prominent role: Number One, Captain Pike's first officer. Unfortunately, NBC didn't like the pilot, and while they gave Roddenberry the chance to do another one, they had two requests: to drop both Leonard Nimoy and Majel Barrett from the show.
Roddenberry approached Nimoy, feeling that the character of Spock was important to Star Trek. He agreed to let Barrett go, however, and did not appear in the second Trek pilot, “When No Man Walked Ahead.” NBC liked the pilot and ordered the show into a series. Then, beginning in “The Naked Time,” Barrett appeared as a very different character: Nurse Chapel, someone who liked to flirt with Spock. Barrett knew he would have to convince NBC executives to appear on Trek again, so he dyed his hair white and visited Roddenberry's office. He didn't recognize her at first, and Barrett made the announcement: “By God, if I can fool you, I can fool NBC.'”
Blondes Are Too Happy (Or At Least, Most Roles)
Majel Barrett got the part, and was seen everywhere Star Trek: The Original Series as Nurse Chapel. Did he successfully fool everyone at NBC, though? It depends on who you ask. In the old issue of Star Trek Monthlyproudly Barrett said, “For three years, NBC never knew it was the same person.” However, according to Inside Star Trek: The Original StoryNBC Vice President Herb Schlosser asked studio head Herb Solow who Chapel's character was; when he found out it was Barrett, he said correctly that he might be dating someone important.
Speaking of news, Barrett's aggressiveness greatly angered Lucille Ball, who produced her studio Desilu. Star Trek: The Original Series. After her marriage fell apart due to her husband's dishonesty, she began to demand that everyone she worked with did the right and moral things at all times. When he found out that the married Gene Roddenberry had sneaked his wife back into Trek under a different name (Majel Leigh Hudec, her real name), he wanted to fire them both. Basically, he hated their moral ineptitude and Roddenberry's nudity. Fortunately, Solow was able to talk him out of it, which allowed Roddenberry to change sci-fi forever.
As for Majel Barrett, he certainly left his mark on Star Trek. She married Roddenberry, and became very visible The Original Seriesand it appears again and again TOS movies and TV spinoffs like Animated series, The Next Generationagain Deep Space Nine. The franchise successfully changed his life for the better, and his appearance certainly made the Trek universe a deeper and more interesting one. However, none of this would have happened, if she hadn't dyed her hair blonde one day and set out to deceive the man she would later marry!
