The Torch Has Passed Off-Camera, Too

WHAT BECOMES A LEGEND MOST? FOR RICK BERMAN, who teamed up with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in 1987 and inherited the franchise mantle after Roddenberry's death four years later, the challenge has been to honor the creator's concept while also moving it forward. The original series was set in the 23rd century, The Next Generation in the 24th; but the century Berman has to worry about is the 21st.

"Star Trek was never, and hopefully never will be, my vision of the future," says Berman, 48, a former documentary filmmaker and children's TV producer. "It's Gene Roddenberry's vision that I...