Star Trek writer Dorothy Catherine "D.C." Fontana passed away on December 2nd. Fontana used her meaningful 80 years on earth to pave the way for female sci-fi TV writers. She not only wrote some of the most iconic episodes in the Star Trek: The Original Series and Star Trek Animated series, but also was the first female writer to join the Star Trek team. She fought hard for her spot in Hollywood having to submit scripts as "D.C." to avoid gender discrimination. She linked up with Gene Rodenberry while working as a production secretary. Impressed with her work, he brought her on to write season 1 episode "Charlie X".
Thus, her career as a sci-fi TV writer was launched. Fontana proved her worth writing several episodes for The Original Series including "Journey to Babel". This episode is renowned for introducing Spock's parents and widened the show's universe to outside of the Enterprise, bringing emotional depth to its characters. She went on to write for the Star Trek animated series, writing the episode "Yesteryear", in which Spock time travels to save a younger version of himself. Her success lead to her landing a Hugo Award nomination for her work on Star Trek: The Next Generation's pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint".
According to THR, Fontana passed away Monday evening due to a short illness. Fontana was working as a senior lecturer at the American Film Institute, which initially reported her death as stated on the Star Trek site. She spent her time there mentoring aspiring screenwriters and passing on her impressive legacy. Fontana passed by the side of her husband, cinematographer Dennis Skotak. Her family requests that memorial donations be made to the Humane Society, Best Friends Animal Society, or American Film Institute.
Fontana's TV writing career branched out beyond the Star Trek universe. She also wrote for The Waltons, Bonanza, Babylon 5, and The Six Million Dollar Man, and was nominated for a WGA Award after writing Then Came Bronson episode “Two Percent of Nothing". Fontana was honored by the WGA twice with the Morgan Cox Award, first in 1997 and then again in 2002.
She may not have entered Hollywood as a "female writer," but she left as an inspiring one. Sci-fi is often rendered as a male-dominated genre, yet she grabbed it by the horns. She wrote for a mostly male cast and her episodes gave these characters depth beyond typical sci-fi cliches. She opened the door for Margaret Armen, Jean Lisette Aroeste, Judy Burns, and future female writers to join the Star Trek writing team. Hollywood has been forever impacted by the work of Fontana. Condolences to this brave, intelligent legend and her family.
RIP D.C. Fontana: March 25, 1939 - December 2, 2019
Source: THR
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