Jacksonville, Ore — Fans of the Star Trek franchise lost another cornerstone of their universe just a week after the passing of Leonard Nimoy.
Sci-fi giant Harve Bennett spent most of his time behind the scenes before losing his battle with oral cancer on March 4th at the age of 84, accompanied by family in Medford.
Space, the final frontier – the famous opening line from one of science fiction’s most expansive universes.
A universe that may have never been explored if it weren’t for movie producer Harve Bennett.
“It could be said that he said Star Trek,” said colleague and friend Paula Block-Erdmann.
Bennett passed away in Medford at the age of 84, leaving behind a legacy that spanned galaxies.
He entirely wrote Star Trek 3, partially involved in the writing on 2, and Star Trek 4,” said Block-Erdmann.
Movie publicists Block-Erdmann and Terry Erdmann worked with Bennett on the set of Star Trek 5.
He took me over to where they were having a movie production meeting and immediately introduced me to Bill Shatner and Leonard Nimoy and suddenly I was on the crew,” said Terry Erdmann.
Bennett’s work was hardly limited to the final frontier. Bennett’s voice introduced the Six Million Dollar Man.
He created and produced a number of television shows, he worked on the Six Million Dollar Man, he was a producer on the Bionic Woman, and I think he can be credited with creating the mini-series,” said Terry Erdmann.
Bennett is best known for his work on the Star Trek 2: Wrath of Khan, the movie that helped revive the Star Trek franchise
He just had a feel for it, he actually sat down and watched all 79 episodes of the original series, said Block-Erdmann.
That piece solidified Bennett’s name alongside sci-fi’s greats, like longtime friend Leonard Nimoy.
Bennett was truly a man who had boldly gone where no man had gone before.
Without Leonard Nimoy and Harve Bennett a whole era has disappeared, said Block-Erdmann.
Bennett retired with his wife in Jacksonville and had recently moved to Medford before passing away.
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