Cast and Crew - Nurse Christine Chapel/Majel Barrett

TREKCORE > THE ANIMATED SERIES > CAST AND CREW > Christine Chapel/Majel Barrett
 
 NURSE CHRISTINE CHAPEL

Christine Chapel began her medical career aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise, sacrificing a biology career with several university degrees in research medicine to search for her lost fiancé, Dr. Roger Korby, who had been missing for five years, ever since his last communication from Exo III. When Korby was found on Exo III in 2266 and subsequently discovered to be an android, Chapel elects to remain with the starship, where she became good friends with Uhura and a good friend to Dr. McCoy.

Emotionally, her early shipboard life, as admitted when infected with the Psi 2000 virus, was marked by an acknowledged unrequited love for Mr. Spock — an ongoing issue which never interfered with her professional duties, except for an incident involving Harry Mudd and some alleged "love crystals."
 
 MAJEL BARRETT-RODDENBERRY

Majel Lee Hudec was born in Cleveland, Ohio, where she grew up. When she was ten, she enrolled in an acting workshop. She continued her interest in acting at Shaker Heights High School but went to college with the intent of becoming a legal clerk. Majel attended law school for a year, but after receiving an 'F' in contract law, she moved to New York and landed parts in, "Models By Season," which was staged in Boston. Then she did a nine month run in "The Solid Gold Cadillac," which toured New Orleans, Texas, Oklahoma and San Francisco, California.
Deciding the competition was too stiff in New York, Majel moved to California and the Pasadena Playhouse. There she got a role in, "All for Mary." In the late fifties, she worked in various Paramount films, including, "Black Orchid," "As Young as We Are," and "The Buccaneer." Then she decided that the real progress was happening in television and that's where she wanted to be.

In 1964, when she was no longer under exclusive contract, Majel accepted a guest role on the new MGM series, "The Lieutenant", produced by Gene Roddenberry. Majel became good friends with Gene and ultimately, years later, became his wife.

Later in 1964, Roddenberry cast her in a co-starring role in "The Cage", the pilot for his science fiction series, "Star Trek." She played 'Number One,' second in command on a fictitious starship. However, the character's strength and authority in the "Star Trek" universe was unsettling to NBC and they ordered a second pilot made, without the woman, Number One.

When Roddenberry sold his second "Star Trek" pilot to the network, he remembered Majel's work in "The Cage" and hired her as Nurse Christine Chapel. Instead of the dark-haired M. Leigh Hudec that they had disliked in the other pilot, she now used the name Majel Barrett and wore a blond wig as Chapel. Majel remains the only actor to have contributed to every facet of the "Star Trek" phenomenon.

On August 6, 1969, Majel married Gene Roddenberry in Japan, in a traditional Buddhist-Shinto ceremony. On February 5th, 1974, Majel gave birth to a healthy boy, Eugene Wesley Roddenberry, Jr., known affectionately as "Rod."

On "Star Trek: The Next Generation", she created the role of Deanna Troi's mother, Lwaxana Troi. She is loud and bossy and as far away from Christine Chapel as anything could be. Majel has carried that role over to "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine". Majel can also be heard as the voice of the ship computer on "Star Trek: Voyager", "Star Trek: The Next Generation" and all four "The Next Generation" movies.
Biographies derived and edited from the Official Site.