Harve Bennett, the producer of four Star Trek movies, along with TV shows The Mod Squad, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Bionic Woman, has died. He was 84.
Bennett went to film school before joining the army, where he served in the Military Police Corps until 1955. He went on to help create and produce some of the most iconic science-fiction television shows in history, including serving as executive producer of The Six Million Dollar Man (where he voiced the opening credits) and The Bionic Woman. After the lackluster performance of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Paramount asked Bennett if he could improve the next film. His resulting story idea became Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan, and led to his also producing the next three films in the series. (He made a brief appearance in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.) Bennett left the franchise after Paramount turned down his initial plan to make the sixth film a prequel set during Kirk and Spock’s time at the academy, an idea that would finally return with J. J. Abrams’ 2009 reboot. The fact that his work helped the franchise endure to this day seems a fitting legacy.