A Woman Was Originally Supposed To Be Second-In-Command
You read that right, a woman was originally second-in-command of the Enterprise. Though Majel Barrett didn’t make it as a regular on Star Trek: The Original Series (TOS), she’s still considered the “First Lady of Star Trek.” She was romantically involved with creator Gene Roddenberry during the show’s development, so NBC wasn’t too pleased, thinking Barrett had a leading role because she was dating Roddenberry.
It didn’t help that test audiences didn’t like her character at all, thinking she was “too pushy” and trying too hard to fit in with the men (but then again, people in the ’60s probably weren’t used to seeing women in positions of power).
Ironically, the most powerful woman in Hollywood at the time is what helped keep Star Trek on the air.
