Merrick here...

Earlier this week, we learned that two influential STAR TREK personalities had passed. Joseph Pevney, who directed beloved Original Series episodes like CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER, AMOK TIME, and THE TROUBLE WITH TRIBBLES left us - he was 96 years old. We also heard that Alexander Courage, a composer for The Original Series (including its legendary fanfare/theme music) had slipped away. You can read more about him HERE.

Now comes word that one of STAR TREK's unsung heroes is gone. Robert H. Justman was a producer on The Original Series as well as the inaugural season of THE NEXT GENERATION. He was 81.

Known for guiding with a firm-but-even hand, Justman demonstrated vast appreciation for the creative process. Producers will often micro-manage budgets with little concern for the impact their scrutiny will have on story lines, characterization, atmosphere, and so forth. Justman worked feverishly to preserve, and even enhance, the intent of writers and creators...inventively laboring to realize their ideas whenever, and however, possible.

Sometimes his contributions were subtle - like conjuring a way to create "alien" skies on planetary sets by using gels & lights instead of significantly more costly (and sometimes cost prohibitive) painted backgrounds. In other instances, his impact was both profound and indelible - like his campaign to cast a moderately known British actor named Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard when THE NEXT GENERATION was ramping up. Many weren't so sure...Justman was.

Justman wrote a great deal about his adventures on (and contributions to) STAR TREK in a book entitled INSIDE STAR TREK: THE REAL STORY, co-authored with Herbert F. Solow...Desilu's Execustive in Charge of Production for The Original Series. You can find it HERE.

"There seems to be a big 'Star Trek' convention and everyone is going,"..."Everyone is getting beamed up."

...says Justman's son Jonathan about the recent passing of his father and other STAR TREK alum, in an LA Times article you can find HERE.