The Big Picture Before he created Star Trek, Gene Roddenberry worked as a freelance writer for a plethora of different programs beginning in the mid-1950s. But back then, the American Western was the most popular genre on television, which meant that Roddenberry wrote a few gunslinging tales in his day. Between hour-long and half-hour-long programs, there was almost always a Western on one of the Big Three television networks, and one of the most popular of the age was Have Gun - Will Travel.
Have Gun - Will Travel deals with everything from Native American conflicts, cattle rustling, bank robbery, interracial marriages, outlaw gangs, and more. If it happened in a Western, it likely happened at some point on Have Gun - Will Travel. According to Tim Brooks and Earle Marsh in The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946–Present, the series was an instant hit.
Gene Roddenberry Wrote 24 Episodes of 'Have Gun - Will Travel' From the very beginning, Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was involved in Have Gun - Will Travel. The third episode of the series, "The Great Mojave Chase," was the first episode penned by the future science-fiction author, and it immediately helped set the tone of the series.
In Have Gun - Will Travel, Roddenberry's distinct voice is seen throughout his episodes. Though the show would also help launch the careers of others—including Superman director Richard Donner, Mission: Impossible creator Bruce Geller, The Wild Bunch director Sam Peckinpah, and Dirty Harry co-writer Harry Julian Fink—Roddenberry was the show's most prolific writer besides the series creators, Herb Meadow and Sam Rolfe.