Jeri Taylor, the Emmy-nominated producer, writer, director and showrunner who has worked on more than a decade Star Trek: The Next Generation AND Star Trek: Travelerco-created by her, is dead. He was 86 years old.
Taylor died Wednesday night of natural causes at an assisted living facility in Davis, California, her son Andrew Enberg said The Hollywood journalist.
“My mother succeeded in a male-dominated industry,” her son said, “but she did it without being overly aggressive. He did it with compassion and kindness. She was like a den mother to everyone.
Before boarding her Star Trek Voyage, the Indiana native has written and produced episodes of popular online crime films such as Quincy, me, Magnum, PI, Jake and the Fat Man AND In the heat of the night. He was adept at writing about “character, about people, relationships and feelings,” he once observed.
Taylor began writing for the union Next generation in 1990 during its fourth season. She became co-executive producer alongside Rick Berman and Michael Pillar during the show's sixth season and served as showrunner for protagonist Patrick Stewart for his seventh and final campaign (1993–94).
In 1994, it shared an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
She, Berman and Pillar created Star Trek: Travelerwhich debuted on UPN in January 1995, and she served as the series' showrunner for its first four seasons, until 1998, and a creative consultant for its final three seasons.
It was Taylor's idea to have a female protagonist Star Trekand Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Kathryn Janeway Travelerwrote in X that Taylor “was responsible, in large part, for changing my life.”
“She was elegant, erudite and fiercely opinionated,” Mulgrew wrote. “He wanted Kathryn Janeway to be a significant part of his legacy, and I think there's no question that she accomplished that.”
One of six children, Jeri Cecile Suer was born on June 30, 1938 in Evansville, Indiana. His father, Robert, was a doctor and his mother, Ruah, a mathematics teacher.
Taylor graduated from Wilmington High School in Ohio (where she was valedictorian) and Indiana University. She earned her master's degree at Cal State Northridge, led an acting workshop in Los Angeles and directed local theater productions before entering television in 1979 as a writer.
He started working for NBC Quincy in 1980 during its fifth season, and would direct two episodes and serve as a producer in the show's eighth and final year.
She joined the writing staff of Next generation after rewriting the season 4 episode “Suddenly Human”.
Along the way, Taylor also wrote ABC After School Specialsepisodes of Little House on the Prairie, The Incredible Hulk, Blue Thunder AND The Mysteries of Father Dowling and the 1987 CBS telefilm A place to call homewith Linda Lavin.
Of the 30 or so Star Trek episodes for which she received a writing credit, Taylor is said to be very proud of the fourth season Next generation episode “The Drumhead”, set inside a courtroom.
He also received story credit on three syndicated episodes Star Trek: Deep Space Nine in 1993-94 and wrote three of them Star Trek novels for Pocket Books.
Taylor was married to famed sportscaster Dick Enberg from 1959 until their divorce in 1974 and to writer-producer David Moessinger: they worked together on Quincy and other shows – from 1986 until his death in 2018.
In addition to Andrew, survivors include his other son, Alexander Enberg, who appeared in Traveler as Ensign Vorik, a Vulcan. His daughter, Jennifer Jo Enberg, died in 2015 of ovarian cancer at age 52.
On Instagram, Brannon Braga, who took Taylor's place TravelerThe showrunner of , called her “a valuable mentor.”
“Jeri was generous with her wisdom and her time, she nurtured an entire staff of young writers, which is a testament to her patience,” he continued. “I wouldn't have a career without Jeri's complex guidance. He taught us so much. Her memory will live on in many ways, but perhaps most importantly in the character of Captain Janeway, who reflected the best dimensions of Jeri herself. Jeri Taylor, we were lucky to meet you.