‘Star Trek’ and ‘Twilight Zone’ Legend Dies in California Hospital: Ralph Senensky Was 102

Famous TV director Ralph Senesky has died. He was 102.

He passed away this past Saturday in a California hospital, said his niece and costume designer Lisa Lupo-Silvas to THR.

“He was 100 precent sharp until the end,” she said. “He may have been 102, but he had a mind like he was 30.”

Senesky is well-known for directing the three-part pilot for Dynasty, as well as the return of Ellen on The Waltons and 6 episodes of the original Star Trek series.

He is also well known for directing one of the earliest gay storylines on television in the 1963 ABC drama Breaking Point.

For Trekkies, he’s known for being the director of some of the series’ best early storylines. The season one episode This Side of Paradise is known for being one of the best episodes surrounding Spock’s early character development, and the season two episode Metamorphosis is regarded as one of the best episodes by fans of the series.

Unfortunately, Senesky was a victim of circumstance. In season three, he directed the episode The Tholian Webb, which saw the main characters in tight, zipper-less suits that had to be sewn-in. When the actors needed a bathroom break, they had to be unsewn out of the suits. He was fired by the third day of shooting for being a few scenes behind schedule.

According to THR, series creator Gene Roddenberry was “outraged, apologetic and sympathetic” when he called Senesky.

After many other credits, including The Courtship of Eddie’s Father, Dan August, Nanny and the Professor, Dr. Kildare, Naked City, 12 O’Clock High, The Fugitive, The F.B.I., Ironside, The Partridge Family, Barnaby Jones, Insight, Hart to Hart and The Paper Chase, his final credit was for directing the film The Right Regrets, starring his actress friend Marlyn Mason.

“Ralph was a walking encyclopedia on film history,” Mason told said. “Watching an old classic with him was equal to a semester at Harvard… He chose to stay in the world of television, but when you look at his work, you feel you’re looking at a feature movie.”

He is survived by his brother, his niece, and his great-nephew.