After "Star Trek" was canceled in 1969, show creator Gene Roddenberry went through a prolonged period of struggle. His TV career up to that point had mostly involved writing Westerns and cop shows, usually finding steady gigs as a writer-for-hire. Not only did "Star Trek" change the industry's perception of him — he was now a sci-fi guy — but he was associated with its failure. In 1969, the cult audience for "Star Trek" was still rather small, and fan conventions weren't yet common.

Throughout the 1970s, Roddenberry tried, unsuccessfully, to get other major TV and film projects off the ground . In 1971, he wrote the ultra-sexual serial killer thriller "Pretty Maids All in a Row," starring Rock Hudson and Angie Dickinson, and while that film is bonkers and enjoyable, it was hardly a hit.

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