D.C. Fontana has died, age 80.
D.C. Fontana, the famed TV writer best known for Star Trek: The Original Series who blazed a trail for storytelling and women in science fiction, died Monday after a brief illness. She was 80.
The American Film Institute announced today the news of Fontana's passing.
Fontana, whose full name was Dorothy Catherine, wrote several episodes of Star Trek and was most noted for creating Spock’s childhood history, including the story “Yesteryear,” which was produced for Star Trek: The Animated Series. She established the characters of Spock’s father Sarek and mother Amanda in the episode “Journey to Babel.”
Other writing credits include episodes of The Six Million Dollar Man, Land of the Lost, Babylon 5, and Star Trek: The Next Generation, among many others.
She is survived by her husband, Oscar-winning visual effects cinematographer Dennis Skotak. In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made to the Humane Society, Best Friends Animal Society, or the American Film Institute in her memory.