Star Trek: Who Was Boothby The Gardener?

gamerant.com:

It’s hard to say whether Gene Roddenberry could have ever imagined how popular Star Trek would become over the years, spanning various TV shows, movies, video games, and novels. Now, the franchise consists of entire universe full of narrative that creators are constantly expanding.

When he first devisedhis crew of highly diverse cast in The Original Series, Roddenberry could not imagine the array of new fictional lives that would be born from their creation, from blading Starfleet captains, all the way to sentient holograms. One such character that gained almost legendary status was Boothby the gardener — but who exactly was this green-fingered hero?

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Boothby's first introduction was during The Next Generation, and he was a gardener forStarfleet academy on Earth. He wasn’t a war hero, an important ranking officer, an official teacher, or even a military man — but he was presented as potentially the most important presence at the academy, simply down to his innate ability to listen, advise, and help those who are struggling. Liam Boothby, played by Ray Walston, was the epitome of a normal man, a working, down-to-earth character who was incredibly in touch with nature. It’s important to remember that in this period of time, far off into the future, there was very little need for a gardener, everything being automated or replicated. But Boothby chose to garden and tend the plants with his own hands rather than relying on technology, doing it though a genuine love of his craft rather than money. It was likely because of this that he was humble and patient, contrasting wonderfully with the cocky cadets at the academy.

Boothby was an old man right from his introduction to audiences.