DC Fontana passed away in 2019 and her loss was deeply felt by star trek Fans. If Gene Roddenberry was the father of the franchise, Fontana was the godmother. Writing science fiction at a time when women were considered incapable of doing such things, Dorothy Catherine Fontana had to use her initials on her scripts, so no one would know she wasn’t male.
At the age of 27, Fontana was named Star Trek: The Original Series‘ Story Editor after successfully writing and rewriting scripts throughout the show’s first season. She was the youngest person to hold that position in Hollywood at the time, and one of the few women to hold editorial positions.
She left TOS in season 3 to pursue other freelance writing, but wrote two more episodes that year. When The animated series began to grow, she returned to the franchise as an associate producer and story editor, penning the fan-favorite episode “Yesteryear.” This episode, as well as TOS“Journey To Babel” helped cement Spock’s character and flesh out his story.
Fontana continued to work, briefly, on Star Trek: The Next Generation, but quickly left due to the interference of Gene Roddenberry’s notorious attorney, Leonard Maixlish. But that wasn’t the end of her hiking.
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