In eukaryotic cells, basal bodies and their structural equivalents, centrioles, play essential roles. They are needed for the assembly of flagella or cilia as well as for cell division. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii provides an excellent model organism for the study of the basal body and centrioles. Genes for two new members of the tubulin superfamily are needed for basal body/centriole duplication. In addition, other genes that play roles in the duplication and segregation of basal bodies are discussed.