Who is Roberto Orci? ‘Star Trek’ screenwriter faces domestic violence and SA allegations in lawsuit filed by wife

In a complaint filed on Monday, August 26, Roberto Orci, the renowned screenwriter and producer, has been accused of repeatedly beating and s*xually abusing his wife, Adele Heather Taylor. Taylor, who is also an actor, reportedly claimed that she has been the victim of Orci's violent behavior on several occasions since March 2018.

According to Variety, she also claimed that Orci was physically and verbally violent to her due to his extreme alcoholism and aggression. The outlet further reported in their August 27 article, that she had bruises all over her body from him hitting her on certain days.

In the lawsuit, she also claimed that Orci had bipolar disorder and would often lose control of himself. She then alleged that he would beat her, calling her a “wh*re” and a “sl*t,” and would pull her around the house while beating her.

Mexican-American producer and screenwriter, Roberto Orci, has worked on several movies and television shows. He and Alex Kurtzman have worked on popular TV shows including Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. In 2008, they collaborated with J. J. Abrams on the film Fringe. In addition, he contributed to multiple movies like Transformers and Star Trek and series like Hawaii Five-0.

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Roberto Orci is a renowned screenwriter and producer

Orci's (extreme right) best works include Star Trek (Image via Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)

Roberto Orci, who was born in Mexico City, relocated to Texas with his family when he was ten years old. Orci then met Kurtzman when they moved to Santa Monica, California. The two developed their skills by writing scripts in their spare time.

They were later hired to work on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys (1995–99) and its follow-up Xena: Warrior Princess (1995–2001) for their first professional gig.

These TV shows brought in many opportunities for them such as J.J. Abrams' espionage series Alias. The Legend of Zorro (2005) was Orci and Kurtzman's first big-screen movie. The duo’s first joint project with filmmaker Michael Bay was The Island (2005).

Orci has written in a variety of genres and in 2008, Orci produced his debut motion picture, Eagle Eye. In addition, he executive produced the television cop drama Hawaii Five-0, co-wrote the screenplay for Kurtzman's directorial debut, People Like Us (2012), and served as executive producer on the popular romantic comedy The Proposal (2009).

Together, they also produced the murder thriller Now You See Me in 2013 and have resumed production on Mission: Impossible III, along with Abrams.

Following this, Orci completed Star Trek Beyond, the third movie in the series, before being replaced in December of the same year.

Along with receiving joint honors and nominations for the George Pal Memorial Award, Roberto Orci also received the Raul Julia Award for Excellence and the Norman Lear Writer's Award.

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More about the reports filed by Taylor

Now, the renowned personality’s wife recently filed physical, verbal and s*xual abuse complaints against him. She further claimed that in May 2022, Orci followed her into the garden, pinned her to the ground, and made threats to r*pe her.

The claims also detailed an event that happened in April 2020, when Taylor was detained on suspicion of domestic violence after hitting Orci in an attempt to protect herself, who then reported her to the authorities. After that, Orci posted her bail.

Shortly after an attack in December 2022, Taylor left Orci. She claimed that the writer intimidated her, telling her that if she ever chose to report him, no one would believe her because of her previous arrest. Taylor had also recorded the exchange.

Following this, Orci filed a restraining order against Taylor and went on to file for divorce, per Variety. In light of the events, Orci’s lawyer, Daniel Paluch, made a statement via email which said,

“My client denies the allegations and is looking forward to litigating the case in the appropriate forum, which is the court."

In June, Orci had sued Taylor, charging her with assault. This was met with a countersuit by Adele Heather Taylor, who then went on to list a series of allegations.