Herbert F. Solow, the man who commissioned Star Trek from Gene Roddenberry, has passed away at 89

Susan Oliver as Vina in Star Trek “The Cage”. Still taken from the credits of Star Trek “Where No Man Has Gone Before”

NOVEMBER 23, 2020 - Herbert F. Solow, the TV executive who helped develop Star Trek and commissioned it for television, has passed away at the age of 89. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Solow’s family told them that he died in his sleep last Thursday, November 19th, of natural causes.

Solow was the Vice President of Production for Desilu Studios in 1964, when he signed Gene Roddenberry to a development deal for Star Trek. In an interview with the BBC in 2009, he described some of the changes to Gene’s original idea that he helped develop, including the idea of Starfleet, the captain’s logs, and more. “Gene had a great idea,” Solow said. “He didn’t have a salable idea until we developed the pilot.”

Solow is also the co-author, with fellow Star Trek producer Bob Justman, of the book Inside Star Trek: The Real Story.

Outside of Star Trek, Solow is known for the development and production of Mission: Impossible and The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, as well as the Elvis Presley documentary, Elvis: That’s the Way It Is, among many other projects. According to Wikipedia, he was also a member of the Writers Guild of America, the Directors Guild of America, and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Please join me in sending condolences to Solow’s family.