Genesis II is an American science fiction television movie directed by John Llewellyn Moxey. It was written and produced by Gene Roddenberry, famously known as the creator of the Star Trek franchise. It first aired on March 23rd, 1973 on CBS. Genesis II was intended to be a pilot for a potential ongoing series, but CBS decided against picking it up, opting instead to broadcast a live-action Planet of the Apes television series. Genesis II was the first of three attempts made by Roddenberry to produce a series that he hoped would match the popularity of Star Trek. When Genesis failed to make an impression, Roddenberry retooled the concept for another television movie Planet Earth, this time replacing Genesis II 's lead actor Alex Cord with John Saxon. The third film to revisit the Genesis II concept was called Strange New World, which brought back John Saxon though this time playing the lead character Captain Anthony Vico. As with the two previous films, Strange New World was not picked up. It would be another twenty-five years before Roddenberry's dream of a Genesis II television series would come to fruition. Though Gene had passed away in 1991, his widow, actress Majel Barrett-Roddenberry, collaborated with producer Robert Hewitt Wolfe on the creation of an ambitious science fiction television series keeping in line with Roddenberry's original vision. The show was called Andromeda.
