Of all zodiac signs Aquarius is the visionary, futuristic and often well ahead of the times. People with Aquarius prominent in their birth charts are rebels and trendsetters who shake things up with new and often thought provoking, if not controversial, ideas. Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry, had his natal Moon in Aquarius.
Once the new and unusual television show Star Trek (the Original series) was received and accepted by viewers, the success of the show and a following novel and several major motion pictures must have given him great joy, as one might imagine. The Moon shows how we can feel good, find peace and comfort, security, and hints at the things we love and that give us joy. For Moon in Aquarius, his emotional satisfaction came mainly from ideas (Aquarius is an Air sign) that push the envelope, that inspire and go beyond the ‘boring’ norm.
Aquarius is a masculine sign ruled by Saturn. The Moon is feminine. So there’s a balance here, and also some tempering. The harshness of a strict, rigid Saturn expression is softened somewhat by the Moon. But there’s difficulty as well when the warm, loving Moon has to operate through Saturn’s hard and disciplined lens. This emotional tension creates the friction that shapes the visionary insights bubbling up through necessary struggles.
Perhaps the balance of the Aquarian impulse from Saturn through the Moon gave Gene the innate sense of equality between the genders as we’ve witnessed from the beginning of Star Trek where, although the Captains were always men up until Star Trek: Voyager in 1995, there has always been at least one woman on the bridge as a core character of the senior officers. Whether Gene felt it was necessary for the good of the show to include women from the start or an obligation, I don’t know. Feeling obligated can come through a Saturn-ruled Moon but I’d like to believe his visionary, rebellious energy from Aquarius gave him a strong sense of equality.
Saturn is also the force behind structure, order, and functionality- especially for long-term ideas, goals, and organizations. The hierarchal structure of Starfleet command and Starfleet headquarters, the adherence to the timeline and not interfering with other species, especially those that are pre-warp, is very Saturnian at its foundation. Setting boundaries and upholding them rigidly is Saturnian. If we translate this to Gene’s Moon we might summarize his emotions as being more Vulcan than human! Which leads me to the character of Spock, who to me is the perfect blend of Saturn and the Moon (among other things), in particular Moon in Aquarius. Spock is caring and kind (the Moon), an otherworldly being (Aquarius) who restricts and suppresses his emotions (Moon in a Saturn-ruled sign).
Roddenberry also had Mercury and Mars conjunct in Cancer, ruled by the Moon. This brought together his intellect and intelligence (Mercury) with action and adventure (Mars). He quite literally gave ‘birth’ (mother/Cancer) to Star Trek, giving life to his ideas (Mercury) and built something from it (Mars). It’s also worth noting that Venus, who occupies the prominent and all-important 1st House of his chart, is in Mercury-ruled Gemini, combining the love of the arts, entertainment and creativity (Venus) with his intellect (Mercury). Another important consideration is Gene’s military service ‘in real life’. His years of training and combat as an Army Air Corp B-17 bomber gave him fertile ground to create an organization such as Starfleet and the United Federation of Planets. Even after being involved in combat during World War II (he flew some 80 missions!), he envisioned a brighter future and wrote military, hierarchial characters who would bring hope to the audience. We see this through his Mars in Cancer where the rulership of the Moon guides his actions. Although this is not an easy placement (Mars is debilitated in Cancer), we can see how its effect played out in Roddenberry’s creative expression.
The longevity of Star Trek‘s success, of Gene’s success, can be seen by Saturn in Mercury-ruled Virgo aspecting both the 10th House of career and fame and the 1st House of Gene’s overall identity and imprint in this lifetime. Saturn, the planet of longevity, made sure Gene’s creative genius would leave a long lasting impression. His Saturn conjunct Rahu contributes to his huge success, his legacy, and his loyal ‘Trekkies’ who after all these years continue dressing up as Klingons, Romulans, Cardassians, Andorians, and other various races at every convention and ‘Star Trek cruise’, which -besides the tv shows and movies themselves- have become some of the most active celebrations in Star Trek fandom. (Wait, do people dress up as Romulans?)
Looking at the Nakshatras, Gene Roddenberry’s birth chart reveals an incredibly strong path in life favoring success in entertainment. His Ascendant, Mercury and Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, and Moon all occur in nakshatras that indicate skills in writing and communication. These are Ardra, Ashlesha, Uttara Phalguni, and Shatabhisha, respectively (with Mercury and Mars both in Ashlesha, and both Jupiter and Saturn in Uttara Phalguni). His Venus, Sun, Jupiter, Saturn, and Rahu occupy nakshatras that support acting, tv. and film. These are Punarvasu, Magha, Uttara Phalguni, and Chitra, respectively. The nakshatras where Gene’s Venus, Mercury and Mars, and Sun occur (Punarvasu, Ashlesha, and Magha, respectively) show interest or positions in politics while his Rahu (in Mars-ruled Chitra nakshatra) gives involvement in the military or police force. After his service in WWII, Gene went on to become an airline pilot and a sargeant for the LAPD before finally landing in the entertainment industry (Thank you Lord! 🙂 )
His Sun and Moon show his love of adventure and initiative. Sun is strong in Leo in Magha naskathra and gave Gene leadership abilities with a love for travel and adventures while his Moon was strong (Full Moon) opposite the Sun in Aquarius. His Moon in Shatabhisha nakshatra gave him a daring, bold nature, an independent spirit, and interest in astronomy and space. (His Jupiter and Saturn in Uttara Phalguni also promoted interest in astronomy. Note: the pilot episode of Star Trek aired on September 8, 1966. This occurred when Gene was running Saturn dasha/Jupiter bhukti!
This has been a tiny glimpse into Gene’s chart, for sure! I haven’t even looked to see what planetary yogas occured in this chart, his divisional charts, or the dasha timeline. So on that note, if anyone would like to ‘boldly go’ deeper into Gene Roddenberry’s birth chart, his birth data is August 19, 1921 1:35 a.m. El Paso, Texas (106*29’11 West 31*45’31 North). The entire Star Trek franchise is fertile ground to explore astrologically. For instance: see if you can correlate the seven main characters of Star Trek: The Next Generation with the seven true planets. I’d love to hear what you come up with, and if so inclined, share what you’ve researched that shows how astrology can be seen on the Enterprise or perhaps in one of your favorite episodes. Have fun!
And, of course, you know I have to say it… “Live Long and Prosper”.
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Renate Maria Bell is a certified Vedic Astrologer, Jyotish Visharada, and approved teacher with the Council of Vedic Astrology. She can be reached at renatembell@aol.com
Portrait of Gene Roddenberry courtesy brittanica; Snapshot of Gene’s birth chart courtesy Shri Jyoti Star of which the author is a licensed user.