Before he was a successful television producer, Roddenberry was a sergeant in the Los Angeles Police Department, and Gene drew inspiration from his life when developing ideas for Star Trek.

So that was my first experience with Roddenberry. I did another pilot for him called 'Police Story.' For the benefit of those of you who don't know, Gene was a cop for about eight years.

Leonard Nimoy, who played Spock in “Star Trek,” shakes hands with Gene Roddenberry in Los Angeles in January 1985. — AP photo That man turned his life around, got married and had two children.