Memorial plaque Lucille Ball

nye

You can update the plaque and add the name of those that died within a week. Why haven't you added Lucille Ball to the plaque? If it wasn't for her and her studio ( Desi-Lou ) Star Trek would have never made it to the TV screen at all. Just my gripe for the week

ian

I imagine there are literally hundreds of individuals who deserve to be on the memorial. Choices have to be made. And while I completely agree with you regarding Lucille Ball's importance in the establishment of Star Trek, she didn't have any direct creative
input into the series itself,which is why I imagine she has been omitted. I very much doubt it is an oversight or meant as disrespectful in any way.

nixie50

She deserves it more than a lot of the one-off actors and even recurring that are on the plaque -
"It was thanks to her that “The Cage” was produced in the first place. Ball stood by the show through two pilots being shot and a massive budget, and the rest is history. A studio accountant named Edwin "Ed" Holly is on the record as saying "If it were not for Lucy, there would be no Star Trek today."

Without the support of Ball, “The Cage” would have been the end of Star Trek. Second pilots are rarely commissioned, not without someone with some power backing them up. NBC could have passed on Trek overall, but Ball, who believed in the project, stepped in and saved the day in a move that would’ve made every Starfleet captain proud"
https://www.startrek.com/news/how-lucille-ball-helped-star-trek-become-a-cultural-icon

crypticarmsman

nixie50 wrote: »

She deserves it more than a lot of the one-off actors and even recurring that are on the plaque -
"It was thanks to her that “The Cage” was produced in the first place. Ball stood by the show through two pilots being shot and a massive budget, and the rest is history. A studio accountant named Edwin "Ed" Holly is on the record as saying "If it were not for Lucy, there would be no Star Trek today."

Without the support of Ball, “The Cage” would have been the end of Star Trek. Second pilots are rarely commissioned, not without someone with some power backing them up. NBC could have passed on Trek overall, but Ball, who believed in the project, stepped in and saved the day in a move that would’ve made every Starfleet captain proud"
https://www.startrek.com/news/how-lucille-ball-helped-star-trek-become-a-cultural-icon

I believe the story goes that they expected either Mission Impossible OR Star Trek to get picked up by the Network. When BOTH shows got the green light, the Board came to Lucy and said "We can really only afford one. Two high cost shows would be to much of a financial risk (and they thought MI would be the better risk as James Bond type stuff like Man From Uncle and I Spy were doing well..."; and Lucy replied, "No, I think the risk is manageable. We can afford to do both..." <--- And they did (and Network wise MI WAS more successful in the ratings.)

but, yes, I think she too should be on the plaque list.

jonsills

In fact, the story (as relayed by many who were there) was that NBC rejected "The Cage" as "too cerebral", along with complaints about a female first officer and that "Satanic" guy on the bridge. Ball used her influence (and possibly, although nobody seems sure on this point, her money) to ensure that "Where No Man Has Gone Before" was produced and seen by NBC. And the rest, as they say, is history.