Majel Roddenberry | 'Star Trek' first lady, 76

Majel Barrett Roddenberry, 76, the widow of

Star Trek

creator Gene Roddenberry and an actress whose longtime association with the

Star Trek

franchise included playing Nurse Christine Chapel in the original series, died at her Bel-Air, Calif., home yesterday after a battle with leukemia, said family spokesman Sean Rossall.

Once dubbed "The First Lady of 'Trek' " by the Chicago Tribune, Mrs. Roddenberry was associated with

Star Trek

from the start. In the first TV pilot, she played a leading role as Number One, the first officer who was second in command to Jeffrey Hunter's Capt. Christopher Pike.

But at the request of various executives, changes were made, and she did not reprise her role in the second TV pilot. Instead, she played the minor role of Nurse Chapel when the series began airing on NBC in September 1966.

Mrs. Roddenberry had another distinction: Beginning with the original series, she supplied the coolly detached voice of the USS Enterprise's computer. She also was the voice of the Starship Enterprise for six of the 10

Star Trek

movies that have been released, as well as the 11th, which is due out next year.

She was married to Gene Roddenberry from 1969 until his death in 1991.

- Los Angeles Times