The late Majel Barrett might still voice the computer on Star Trek: Discovery
When Majel Barrett died in 2008, she took with her the distinction of being the only person to appear in every Star Trek TV series, either on-screen as characters like Nurse Christine Chapel or feisty ambassador Lwaxana Troi, or as the soothing voice of the computer system installed on every Federation ship. Now, it sounds like Barrett—the widow of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry—might get to extend her six-show streak to a seventh.
Earlier this week, the Roddenberry family Twitter account announced that Barrett’s voice had been recorded phonetically before she died, and that the family—including her son, Eugene Roddenberry Jr., an executive producer on CBS’s forthcoming Star Trek: Discovery—was working to synthesize it for potential… Continue Reading (2 minute read)
Railroads have train defect detectors- electronic devices that can detect hot wheels, hot bearings, things dragging, etc- and alert the train crew over the radio of these issues so the conductor can correct them. Anyway, on Union Pacific, several of these detectors use Barrett’s voice to make those radio announcements.
She’s the only actor to take part in every series incarnation of Star Trek, including the original pilot. She was first officer in the pilot and Nurse Chapel in the original series, in addition to being the voice of the computer in the rest. She really was the ‘first lady of Star Trek’!
Why is she not a Siri/Alexa competitor?
Certainly for the next generation.
Yet now they don’t even use her voice. Haven’t since right after she died, I think. Shame on them, she was the perfect computer voice.
She was also the actress of Lwaxana Troi, who famously tended to “fight” with the computer. So she was literally arguing with herself.
Some people do not know that she was married to Gene Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek.
While he was alive, Majel was on (or at least a part of) every single episode.
Having her show up on screen as Lwaxanna Troi in Deep Space Nine was awesome.
Can we start a movement to have this library released into the public domain. I’m totally fine with developers using this as The Voice of The Computer. Want.
\#FreeBarrettsVoice
Reminds me of 30 Rock “College” and Jack’s voice being preserved.
https://thelousylinguist.blogspot.com/2010/11/pronuncifycom-and-fictional-princeton.html
We’re not far way from being able to synthesize a voiceover of any actor from clips of their speech.
I told this to a voiceover casting agent at a casting Q&A, asking how unknown actors will be able to compete for voiceover work when the price of star talent goes down. I was laughed at.
edit: I know that the tech is already here, but the application isn’t quite there yet to replace voiceover completely
I always got a kick when L’waxanna asked the computer something. She is talking to herself. Lol
Shame CBS/Paramount didn’t use her voice after Voyager. Seems like a waste to me.
Honestly wish I could change my Alexa voice to hers.
First Lady of Star Trek? Absolutely! After all, she did play “Number One” in the Star Trek pilot, which later got released as the two part episode “Menagerie.”
If her voice was available for Alexa, I would buy one then.