Star Trek fans everywhere are mourning the loss of Majel Barrett Roddenberry, who died yesterday at her home in Bel Air, Calif., after a battle with leukemia. Barrett Roddenberry was the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry, who boldly cast her as second-in-command of the USS Enterprise in the original 1964 Star Trek pilot.

She didn't stay in command for long, thanks to the NBC execs of the time, but Roddenberry remained aboard the Enterprise in the role of Nurse Chapel and as the voice of the ship's computer. She went on to voice the computer for six Trek series and many of the films, including J.J. Abrams' upcoming reboot. She also guest-starred as Lwaxana Troi, the Captain Picard-chasing empath, on Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.

After Gene Roddenberry's death in 1991, Majel Barrett Roddenberry continued to help bring her husband's ideas to the small screen. She produced Earth: Final Conflict and Andromeda, both based on stories by the Star Trek creator.

Star Trek will always be Majel Barrett-Roddenberry's legacy. Like most fans, I was glad to hear about Abrams' decision to use her voice in his movie. It's fitting that she'll be a part of the next chapter of what she and her husband created more than 40 years ago -- one of the most influential and longest-running media franchises in history. The First Lady of Star Trek, just like Trek itself, will not soon be forgotten by fans.

Fans have been invited to post about Roddenberry's passing at the official Roddenberry site.