Sometimes the legacy and the reputation and notoriety does match up to the person. Sometimes the love and props and respect does not come too late in life. I feel like that was not the case with Dorothy “D.C.” Fontana, the legendary Star Trek writer who passed away this week at age 80.

It feels like the word got to her; the word about how influential and inspiring and important she was in the history of Star Trek. Ultimately, it is up to her friends and family to decide how much her impact and influence got back to her. From my personal perspective, I never met D.C. Fontana. But since I was a young boy in the early 70s, she has been a part of my life.

Her name popped off the screen as frequently and as prominently as any of the other names in mesmerizing neon gold — Roddenberry. Coon. Shatner. Nimoy. Fontana. — and I noticed it. Honestly, it just sounded cool, even to an eight-year old in 1975. It didn’t take me long to learn that “D.C.” was short for Dorothy.

Dorothy C. Fontana. For me, it was an afterthought that she was a woman. She was just one of the important names putting it all together. It would be years later that the slow realization of why her use of the initials “D.C.” would be so significant. And how much someone like her had to overcome to attain the stature she did in her work.

And as for that work, it literally speaks for itself.

“Charlie X,” the lost, troubled boy whose behavior could not be excused and was destined for an unhappy ending. “This Side of Paradise,” where forbidden love has likely never been bludgeoned so hard. “Tomorrow Is Yesterday,” featuring a person out of time whose important legacy would be fulfilled regardless of the obstacles placed in their path. (That sure sounds familiar.)

“Yesteryear,” the one part of The Animated Series that even fans who shrug off the 1970’s show accept as a critical chapter of Spock’s life, one which influenced large parts of Star Trek: Enterprise and other depictions of Vulcan culture to this day.

Finally, “Journey to Babel.” A story so important to Star Trek that it literally laid the foundation for Trek’s modern television revival with Star Trek: Discovery.

Of course, there is more to her Trek career than just those early successes, including her work shaping the early days of The Next Generation, her contribution to Deep Space Nine and more… and of course, there is more to her entire career than just Trek, including television work on shows from The Big Valley through Babylon 5.

From her work with the American Film Institute to the Writers Guild of America, Fontana was a true influencer before today’s modern usage of the word.

She inspired historians, composers, and especially other writers, including some who now are household names in the television industry. The tributes coming in know no boundaries to the way she touched the industry with her abilities and talent.

The newest generation of Star Trek writers, knowing they are now carrying the legacy that Fontana helped create, also weighed in on the legend’s departure.

She was a pioneer in all the obvious ways, but the simple truth is she was much more than just a woman deftly navigating her way through a patriarchal industry and society. She was quite simply one of the most talent people to ever touch Star Trek, and without her key ingredients, it is unlikely the series would have ever achieved the zeitgeist that it has: a franchise that has inspired real world explorers, inventors, scientists and political leaders.

That’s the influence of D.C. Fontana. And that is why she is one of the most important creators in not only the history of Star Trek, but in history.

Jim Moorhouse is the creator of TrekRanks.com and the TrekRanks Podcast. He can be found living and breathing Trek every day on Twitter at @EnterpriseExtra and @TrekRanks.