American screenwriter and producer who ran The Original Series from mid–first season to mid–second season and created the Klingons and Khan.
Gene L. Coon (1924–1973) was an American writer and producer who joined Star Trek during its first season and served as its producer and day-to-day showrunner until partway through the second. He rewrote many scripts during that period and is widely credited with shaping the tone of the series, including the camaraderie among Kirk, Spock and McCoy.
Coon wrote or co-wrote a large share of the show's best-known episodes. He introduced the Klingons and the Organian peace treaty in Errand of Mercy, developed Khan Noonien Singh in his teleplay for Space Seed, and wrote Arena, The Devil in the Dark, Metamorphosis and A Taste of Armageddon. With Gene Roddenberry he co-wrote Bread and Circuses.
After leaving the producer's chair he continued to contribute under the pen name Lee Cronin, credited on Spectre of the Gun, Spock's Brain and Let That Be Your Last Battlefield. Before Star Trek he had written extensively for television westerns such as Wagon Train. He died in 1973.