Mr. Senensky was a childhood friend of my mother and uncle in Mason City, Iowa. My family was so honored when he chronicled their relationship in his “Ralph’s Cinema Trek” Black Lives Matter article. Mr. Senensky’s innate sense of fairness and equality, even at an early age, serves as a beacon of hope for a better world.

I came to know of Ralph because of my deep appreciation for “The Waltons.” Episodes he directed are among my favorites. More recently, I have been grateful for the memories and insights Ralph graciously shared on Judy Norton’s YouTube  channel. His detailed memory, tender perspective, and astute observations impressed me greatly. What a gift this soul has been to us! I wish peace and comfort for all those who love and cherish him.

On this Veteran's Day, I found Ralph's draft registration card.  A 19 year old boy, who later joined the Army and served in Europe.  Thank you, Ralph. and thank you to all other veterans who risked their lives in service to our country.

I was saddened by the news of Ralph's passing, as I am an admirer of his work. I was so happy to come across his blog a few years ago and took great pleasure in reading his posts, so many having to do with the TV shows I loved growing up. His creative talent was awesome !   I posted a comment to him telling him how much I enjoyed his blog, and he wrote back such a nice reply. I wish I could have met him in person.
Sending sincere condolences to his family.

Regards,
Karen Snow
New York City

Ralph and I spent many hours discussing his remarkable career at his home in Carmel-by-the-Sea. He was a warm and kind human being, eager to share his passions with others. I especially enjoyed his wonderful stories from his time in Hollywood. The world is a lesser place without him but his legacy will remain with us always.

This is a gift I sent Ralph a few years ago.  I'd always admired his work, and after commenting on his website for a while, he invited me to email him, and we became long-distance friends.  We had many long telephone conversations, not only about his contributions as a director, but about life in general.  He was greatly respected and admired by all who knew him.  Ralph, we miss you.  You were a true mensch.  May your memory be a blessing  forever.

The man must continue. The man did continue, for 102 ½ years. Ralph served his country with honor during WWII and then in 1947 he headed out west for theater training at the Pasadena Playhouse.

In 1967, Ralph directed “Metamorphosis”, perhaps the finest hour of all Star Trek, in which a man learns that an inhuman alien is in love with him. The man acts with revulsion and hatred but by the end of the episode he decides to sacrifice his life to live with his love. 

In 2023, the Screen Actors Guild and the Writers Guild held a joint picket of Paramount on Star Trek Day and Ralph marched along with us, via Zoom. It was a blazing hot day and so Ralph offered to help by sharing his water bottle with us, lifting it up toward the screen. Ralph helped millions of people through thousands of screens during his lifetime, he showed us that love is love and that if we can communicate then we can understand and then we can achieve a lasting peace. 

The man must continue. 
The man will continue, Ralph’s work will be with us and his light will shine for all time.

Chris 
PS: I hope they have green bananas in heaven

It was a blazing hot day and so Ralph offered to share his water with us. One of countless acts of human kindness from a gracious and generous man.

Ralph marched with us during the Paramount strike picket in 2023, marching virtually via Zoom.

Ralph Senensky directed the original Star Trek episode "Metamorphosis." The sci-fi love story is Denise’s favorite episode of the original series. Back in 2016, we included “Metamorphosis” in CBS Home Entertainment's Blu-ray set, The Roddenberry Vault, so we worked with producer Roger Lay, Jr. to interview Senensky for one of the documentaries on the disk. I was disappointed when his initial reaction was to decline to be interviewed.

Denise grabbed the phone from me and told him that she respected his choice, but that even if he didn't want to be interviewed, she just wanted to tell him how much she loved his work, and that "Metamorphosis" was her very favorite episode, ever. They chatted for a few minutes, then, when she handed the phone back to me, Senensky chuckled and said that he'd do it.

(I should add that Denise wasn’t trying to sweet-talk Senensky. It’s just that she’s in love with his work, and since she thought this would be her only chance to talk with him, she wanted to tell him how much his work meant to her. I think Senensky responded to her sincerity.)

A couple of weeks later, we met the director at his home in Northern California. We wondered how much he remembered from that shoot, nearly five decades earlier. We needn't have worried. His memories were sharp and detailed. We asked him about shooting Elinor Donahue peering into the sky through her scarf. Senensky said that he wanted to do something very special for that moment, but that he was surprised at how well it worked.

OBITUARY

Ralph Senensky

May 1, 1923 – November 1, 2025

The Paul Mortuary

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