First Female ‘Star Trek’ writer passes away at 80
One of the writers of the original Star Trek series who had been affiliated with the franchise for a long time, Dorothy Catherine Fontana, has passed away on December 2 at the age of 80.
The official Star Trek website confirmed her death, which she was described as “the legendary writer who brought many of ‘Star Trek’s’ greatest episodes to life.” The website said that Fontana has died after a brief illness. Other details about her death were not disclosed.
Fontana holds writing credits on 11 episodes of the original Star Trek, which ran for three seasons from 1966-69. Some of the said episodes include the standout 1967 installments such as Journey to Babel, which introduced the parents of Spock, and This Side of Paradise, where Sock and other members of the Enterprise crew get goofy after being sprayed by flower spores.
Some of her episodes were credited to a pseudonym Michael Richards. In order to avoid discrimination as she sought work in what was then a decidedly a male-dominated business, Fontana decided to mask her gender with her screen credit.
According to Variety, Fontana is survived by her husband, cinematographer Dennis Skotak. The family requests that donations be made in the name of Fontana to the Humane Society, Best Friends Animal Society or the American Film Institute.
