D.C. Fontana Dead - 'Star Trek' Series Writer Dies at 80

Dorothy Catherine Fontana has sadly passed away. She was 80-years-old.

Known professionally as “D.C.,” the writer for the original Star Trek series passed away on Monday (December 2) after fighting a brief illness, according to the official Star Trek website.

“As a writer, Fontana is credited with many episodes focusing on Vulcan culture and helped blaze a trail for female writers in sci-fi television,” the website writes. “She is the mind behind The Original Series and The Animated Series episodes like “Yesteryear” and “Journey to Babel,” which introduced Spock’s father Sarek and mother Amanda. She co-wrote the Hugo Award nominated The Next Generation episode “Encounter at Farpoint” with Gene Rodenberry, and she continued to write for TNG and Deep Space Nine. Her last produced credit was an episode of webseries Star Trek: New Voyages, starring Walter Koenig.”

William Shatner, who portrayed Captain James Kirk in the Star Trek universe, took to Twitter to mourn the death of D.C., calling her a “pioneer.”

“😢 She was a pioneer. Her work will continue to influence for generations to come,” William tweeted.

Our thoughts are with D.C. Fontana‘s loved ones during this difficult time.