Susan Sackett (born 18 December 1943; age 80) was the production associate on Star Trek: The Next Generation. She also served as the personal executive assistant to Gene Roddenberry on Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. Sackett worked with Roddenberry for more than seventeen years, until his death in October 1991.
She appeared in the Star Trek: The Motion Picture recreation deck scene as an Enterprise science division crewmember. There was also a close up of the balcony with reaction of the crew to the destruction of Epsilon IX station filmed, but later cut. Sackett was one of the four female extras who received special outfits because of their heights. She filmed her scenes on Monday 16 October 1978 and Tuesday 17 October 1978 at Paramount Stage 8. [1] Sackett also appeared as a science division ensign in the Next Generation first season episode "The Neutral Zone". In her scene Sackett wore Marina Sirtis' costume from "Encounter at Farpoint".
Furthermore, she co-wrote two episodes for the series with writing partner Fred Bronson: "Ménage à Troi" and the story for "The Game". Apart from the books she wrote (see below), she also submitted articles and interviews with Roddenberry to the Starlog magazine as well as a series of "Star Trek Reports", keeping readership appraised about the progress of the production of The Motion Picture, starting in issue 6, 1977. Sackett has noted on these reports, "Hard to believe they actually paid me to write this stuff! I think it was $300 per column, but I really don't remember, just that it wasn't a lot! Truth be told, it was really like trying to balance a ball on my nose for FOUR YEARS without dropping it! Finding things to write about and cheerlead for the "upcoming movie/TV series/whatever" month after month was a real challenge." [2] Sackett's reports ran through issue 29, 1979, and were to be the starting point, aside from already having been so for her book The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (the writing she embarked upon, directly pursuant her "Reports"), for a proposed follow-up reference book, tentatively entitled The Making of the Special Effects of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, that was however canceled due to disappointing sales of other book titles on The Motion Picture, including her own. (Enterprise Incidents: special edition on the technical side, p. 50)
Her name can be seen on the dedication plaque of the USS Enterprise-D throughout TNG where she is listed on the plaque as an Admiral.
Star Trek appearances[]
Bibliography[]
- Letters to Star Trek (Ballantine Books, 1977)
- Star Trek Speaks (with Fred and Stanley Goldstein, Pocket Books, 1979)
- The Making of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (with Gene Roddenberry, Pocket Books, 1980)
- The Making of the Special Effects of Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Pocket Books, cancelled)
- You Can Be a Game Show Contestant and Win! (with Cheryl Blythe, Dell Books, 1982)
- Say Goodnight Gracie! – The Story of Burns and Allen (with Cheryl Blythe, E.P. Dutton, 1986)
- The Hollywood Reporter Book of Box Office Hits (Billboard Publications, 1990)
- Star Trek: The First 25 Years (with Gene Roddenberry)
- Note: this book was purchased by Pocket Books but never published due to legal issues. Instead it became the basis for the 1994 book Star Trek - Where No One Has Gone Before by J.M. Dillard.
- Prime-Time Hits (Billboard Publications, 1993)
- Hollywood Sings (Billboard Publications, 1995)
- Inside Trek: My Secret Life with Star Trek Creator Gene Roddenberry (Hawk Publishing Group, 2002)
Star Trek interview[]
External links[]
- InsideTrek.com – official site
- Susan Sackett at the Internet Movie Database
- Susan Sackett at Wikipedia