Another ‘Star Trek’ Legend Has Died: Jeri Taylor Was 86

The Star Trek franchise has lost another legend. The official Star Trek website confirmed the passing of Jeri Taylor, who served as a writer on Star Trek: The Next Generation before becoming co-executive producer with Rick Berman and Michael Pillar during Season 6 and later as executive producer and showrunner for the final season, died on Oct. 23 at 86.

Born on June 30, 1938 in Evansville, Indiana, Taylor graduated from Indiana University and later went to California State University, Northridge, where she received her master’s degree, according to Variety. She began her writing career in 1979 when she worked on shows such as California Fever, Salvage 1, and The Secret Empire. She also served as producer on the series Quincy, M.E., Magnum, P.I., In the Heat of the Night, and Jake and the Fatman. Taylor directed a number of episodes of Quincy, M.E. and also co-wrote the Linda Lavin-led CBS primetime movie A Place to Call Home.

In 1990, Taylor joined the writing staff of Star Trek: The Next Generation in its fourth season and is behind the Season 4 episode, “The Drumhead.” While she continued to write various episodes throughout the remainder of the series, she was pumped up to co-executive producer and then executive producer by the show’s end. Taylor went on to write a few episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space’s second season in 1993 and 1994 and then co-created Star Trek: Voyager in 1995 with Berman and Pillar, also serving as the showrunner.

Star Trek: Voyager marked Jeri Taylor’s final project, which ran for seven seasons and ended in 2001. Between 1995 and 1998, she gave the Indiana University Lilly Library a collection of her screenwriting work, such as outlines, scripts, technical notes, cast lists, and shooting schedules.

Brannon Braga, who took over showrunner duties on Star Trek: Voyager, shared on Instagram, “Jeri Taylor died. She was a great writer and showrunner and, to me, a cherished mentor. Jeri was generous with her wisdom and her time, she nurtured an entire staff of young writers which is a testament to her patience. I would not have a career without Jeri’s intricate guidance. She taught us all so much. Her memory will live on in many ways, but perhaps most of all in the character of Captain Janeway, who reflected the best dimensions of Jeri herself. Jeri Taylor, we were lucky to know you.”