‘TREK’ TALK

Re Richard Arnold’s contention that “Star Trek--The Motion Picture” is the most popular “Trek” film (Letters, Sept. 22):

The first film may have the biggest (adjusted) domestic gross, but each of the films leading to “The Next Generation” helped invigorate the franchise. And Arnold’s anger over it tells me why the “Trek” universe is so pathetic.

JACEN ALEXA

Burbank

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Re George Carlisle’s contention that “Star Trek” did nothing to build interest in the space program (Letters, Sept. 22):

Some of the futuristic predictions made by scientists at NASA and JPL about the uses of space have turned out to be as ridiculous as a “Star Trek” plot. Gene Roddenberry may have brainwashed the public in a vision of outer space filled with phasers and fantastically costumed females and “prime directives,” but that’s more exciting than real outer space exploration, which is expensive and often yields discoveries that are interesting but have no economic use.

MATTHEW OKADA

Pasadena

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Re Gene Roddenberry biographer David Alexander’s claim that I spent “little more than a week” with Roddenberry for my book “The Last Conversation” (Letters, Sept. 15):

I met Gene Roddenberry in April of 1991 at his office at Paramount Pictures. We had several subsequent meetings at the studio prior to my first stay at the Roddenberry home in July of 1991.

Subsequent to that we had several telephone interviews and a number of in-person interviews both at his home and at Paramount.

How David Alexander came to his erroneous conclusion is beyond me. Habit, I guess.

YVONNE FERN SOLOW

Malibu