How much credit does Gene Roddenberry deserve for Star Trek's diversity?

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https://www.esquire.com/entertainmen...ty-fell-short/

The original 1964 Star Trek pilot was "whitebread," says Ryan Britt. It was left to new additions Nichelle Nichols and George Takei in the revamped edition of what would eventually air to define their characters' diversity. "Although Roddenberry is lauded for casting Nichols and Takei in the roles of Uhura and Sulu, his first attempt at Star Trek—1964’s rejected pilot episode, 'The Cage'— wasn’t populated by any people of color, even as background characters," says Britt. "Infamously, NBC didn’t like that first-draft version of Star Trek, and miraculously, Roddenberry (along with Desilu Studios) was given another chance. And yet, if 'The Cage' had been accepted, and that whitebread Star Trek had been picked up for a series run, would Roddenberry have still thought to bring on a more diverse cast? His motivations for pushing for representation seem laudable enough; after all, Roddenberry pushed for diversity on The Lieutenant. But it’s still more than a little odd that the first filmed pilot of Star Trek ('The Cage') wasn’t remotely progressive in terms of diversity. And even by the second pilot ('Where No Man Has Gone Before'), Uhura’s not there yet, and Sulu is oddly not the guy flying the ship; instead, he’s a physicist and seems more like a consultant for Spock than a starship pilot. In terms of filming order, Uhura doesn’t appear until the third episode of Star Trek produced, “The Corbomite Maneuver,” an episode that nobody thinks of as the real pilot episode to the ‘60s Star Trek, but totally should. If you’re confused, it’s understandable. 'The Corbomite Maneuver' aired tenth and is still considered the tenth episode of the classic show." Britt adds: "There are many ways to look at Roddenberry. Was 'the Great Bird of the Galaxy' an early social justice crusader who just happened to be a TV producer? Was he a half-a**ed humanist sci-fi philosopher? Like many pivotal historical figures, Roddenberry can’t be defined by just one trait. His creation of the idealistic United Federation of Planets sometimes feels as important as the signing of the Declaration of Independence. As an American, I’m thankful that George Washington existed, but I’m also aware that George Washington wasn’t the greatest person. Roddenberry wasn’t as bad as all that, but you can see where this is going. He was the founding father of the science fiction country of dreams called Star Trek. In creating Star Trek, Roddenberry unwittingly created a new art form, one spanning several types of media that will likely last for at least a hundred years."