Star Trek: The Next Generation (often abbreviated to TNG) is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production. The show was created 21 years after the original Star Trek
show, and set in the 24th century from the year 2364 through 2370
(about 100 years after the original series timeframe). The program
features a new crew and a new starship Enterprise.
Patrick Stewart's voice-over introduction during each episode's opening
credits stated the starship's purpose (albeit modified from the
original series):
“
Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise.
Its continuing mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new
life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.
”
It premiered the week of September 28, 1987 to 27 million viewers[1] with the two-hour pilot "Encounter at Farpoint". With 178 episodes spread over seven seasons, it ran longer than any other Star Trek series, ending with the two-hour finale "All Good Things..." the week of May 23, 1994.
The series was broadcast in first-run syndication,
with dates and times varying among individual television stations. The
show gained a considerable following during its run and, like The Original Series, remains popular in syndicated reruns. It was the first of several series (the others being Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise) that kept new Star Trek episodes airing until 2005. Star Trek: The Next Generation won 18 Emmy Awards
and, in its seventh season, became the first, and currently only,
syndicated television show to be nominated for the Emmy for Best
Dramatic Series. It was nominated for three Hugo Awards and won two. The first-season episode "The Big Goodbye" also won the Peabody Award for excellence in television programming. The series formed the basis of the seventh through the tenth Star Trek films.
The show follows the adventures of a space-faring crew on board the Starship USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D), the fifth Federation vessel to bear the name and registry (the Enterprise (NX-01) is the first of seven Federation ships with the name but does not share the registry, see Starship Enterprise
for other ships with the name and/or registry). The time line takes
place roughly 70 years after the final missions of the original
Enterprise crew under the command of James T. Kirk.
The Federation has undergone massive internal changes in its quest to
explore and seek out new life, adding new degrees of complexity and
controversy to its methods, especially those focused on the Prime Directive. The Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets have ceased wartime hostilities and become galactic allies, while more sinister foes like the Romulans and the Borg take precedence on the show. The Enterprise is commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and is staffed by first officer Commander William Riker, the android Lieutenant Commander Data, security chief Lieutenant Tasha Yar, ship's counsellor Deanna Troi, Klingon tactical officer Lieutenant Worf, Doctor Beverly Crusher, and conn officer Lieutenant Geordi La Forge.
The death of Lieutenant Yar in the show's first season prompts an
internal shuffle of personnel, making Worf official chief of security.
Geordi La Forge is promoted to chief engineer at the beginning of
season 2.
The show begins with the crew of the Enterprise-D put on trial by a nefarious, omnipotent being known as Q.
The godlike entity threatens the extinction of mankind for being a race
of savages, forcing them to solve a mystery at nearby Farpoint Station
in order to prove their worthiness of being spared. After successively
solving the mystery and avoiding disaster, the crew officially departs
on its mission to explore strange new worlds.
Subsequent stories focus on the discovery of new life, sociological
and political relationships with alien cultures, as well as exploring
the human condition. Several new species are introduced as recurring
antagonists, including the Ferengi, the Cardassians, and the Borg.
Throughout their adventures, Picard and his crew are often forced to
face difficult choices, and live with the consequences of those choices.
The show ended in its seventh season with a two-part episode "All Good Things...",
which brought the events of the series full circle, back to the
original confrontation with Q. An interstellar anomaly that threatens
all life in the universe forces Captain Picard to leap from his
present, past and future to combat the threat. Picard was successfully
able to demonstrate to Q that humanity could think outside of the
confines of perception and theorize on new possibilities, while still
being prepared to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the greater
good. The show ended with the crew of the Enterprise portrayed as
feeling more like a family, and paved the way for four consecutive
motion pictures that continued the theme and mission of the series.
After the box-office success of the Harve Bennett-produced Star Trek-based movies, Paramount decided to create a new Star Trek
series in 1986. Roddenberry initially declined to be involved but came
on board as creator after being unhappy with early conceptual work. The
creation of Star Trek: The Next Generation was announced on October 10, 1986.[2]
The show was, unusually, broadcast in first-run syndication rather than
running on a major network, with Paramount and the local stations
splitting advertising time between them.[3]
Roddenberry hired a number of Star Trek veterans, including Bob Justman, D. C. Fontana, Eddie Milkis, and David Gerrold. Paramount executive Rick Berman was assigned to the show at Roddenberry's request.[4] According to series actor Patrick Stewart, Berman was more receptive than Roddenberry to the show addressing political issues.[5]The Next Generation was shot on 35 mm film.[6]
The first season was marked by a "revolving door" of writers, with Gerrold and Fontana quitting after disputes with Roddenberry.[7]
Mark Bourne of The DVD Journal wrote of season one: "A
typical episode relied on trite plot points, clumsy allegories, dry and
stilted dialogue, or characterization that was taking too long to feel
relaxed and natural."[8] Other targets of criticism include poor special effects and plots being resolved by the deus ex machina of Wesley Crusher saving the ship.[9][10] However, Patrick Stewart's
acting skills won praise and critics have noted that characters were
given greater potential for development than those of the original
series.[8][9]
While the events of most episodes of season one were self-contained,
many developments important to the show as a whole occurred during the
season. The recurring nemesis Q was introduced in the pilot, "Encounter at Farpoint", the alien Ferengi first appeared in "The Last Outpost", the capabilities of the holodeck were explored, and the history between William Riker and Deanna Troi was investigated.
Later season-one episodes set the stage for serial plots. The episode "Datalore" introduced Data's evil twin brother Lore, who made several more appearances in later episodes. "Coming of Age" dealt with Wesley Crusher's efforts to get in to Starfleet Academy while also hinting at the threat to Starfleet later faced in "Conspiracy". "Heart of Glory" explored Worf's character, Klingon
culture, and the uneasy truce between the Federation and the Klingon
Empire, three themes that would play a major role in later episodes. Tasha Yar left the show in "Skin of Evil" becoming the first regular Star Trek character to die (permanently) in either series or film, and the season finale, "The Neutral Zone", established the presence of two of TNG's most enduring villains: the Romulans, making their first appearance since the Original Series, and, through foreshadowing, the Borg.
The series premiere became the first television show to be nominated for a Hugo Award since 1972. Six first-season episodes were each nominated for an Emmy Award; "11001001" won for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series, "The Big Goodbye" won for Outstanding Costume Design for a Series, and "Conspiracy" won for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Series.[11] "The Big Goodbye" also won a George Peabody award, the only episode of the entire Star Trek saga to be so honored.
The series underwent significant changes during its second season. Beverly Crusher was replaced as chief medical officer by Katherine Pulaski, played by Diana Muldaur, who had been a guest star in "Return to Tomorrow" and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?", two episodes from the original Star Trek. The show's recreational area, Ten-Forward, and its mysterious bartender/advisor, Guinan, played by Whoopi Goldberg, appeared for the first time. Owing to the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike,
the number of episodes produced was cut from 26 to 22 and the start of
the season was delayed. Because of the strike, the opening episode, "The Child", was based on a script originally written for Star Trek: Phase II, a previous attempt to create a new weekly Star Trek series, while the season finale, "Shades of Gray", was a clip show.
Nevertheless, season two as a whole was widely regarded as
significantly better than season one. The plots became more
sophisticated, and began to mix drama with comic relief. Its focus on
character development received special praise.[12] Co-executive producer Maurice Hurley has stated that his primary goal for the season was to plan and execute season-long story arcs and character arcs.[13] Hurley wrote the acclaimed episode "Q Who?", which featured the first on-screen appearance of TNG's most popular villain, the Borg. Season two focused on developing the character Data, and two highly-regarded episodes from the season, "Elementary, Dear Data" and "The Measure of a Man" featured him prominently.[14]Miles O'Brien also became a more prominent character during the second season, while Geordi La Forge found a position as chief engineer. Klingon issues continued to be explored in well-regarded episodes such as "A Matter of Honor" and "The Emissary", which introduced Worf's former lover K'Ehleyr.[15]
Five second-season episodes were nominated for six Emmys; "Q Who?" won
for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and Outstanding Sound Mixing
for a Drama Series.[11]
Prior to the production of the third season in the summer of 1989,
some personnel changes were made. Head writer Maurice Hurley was let go
and Michael Piller
took over for the rest of the series. Creator and executive producer
Gene Roddenberry took less of an active role due to his declining
health. Roddenberry gave Piller and Berman the executive producer jobs,
and they remained in that position for the rest of the series' run,
with Berman overseeing the production as a whole and Piller being in
charge of the creative direction of the show and the "writing room".
Doctor Crusher returned from her off-screen tenure at Starfleet Medical
to replace Doctor Pulaski, who had remained a guest star throughout the
second season. Ronald D. Moore joined the show after submitting a spec script that became "The Bonding"; he became the franchise's "Klingon guru",[11] meaning that he wrote most TNG episodes dealing with the Klingon Empire (though he wrote some Romulan stories as well, such as "The Defector", midway through season three). Writer/producer Ira Steven Behr also joined the show in its third season. Though his tenure with TNG would last only one year, he would later go on to be a writer and Showrunner of spin-off series Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.[16] Six third-season episodes were nominated for eight Emmys; "Yesterday's Enterprise" won for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series and "Sins of the Father" won for Best Art Direction for a Series.[11]
After complaints of discomfort made by several cast members, new
two-piece Starfleet uniforms were introduced in the third season to
replace the jumpsuits worn in the first two seasons.
Brannon Braga and Jeri Taylor
joined the show in its fourth season. The fourth season surpassed the
Original Series in terms of season length with the production of "The
Best of Both Worlds, Part II". During the episode of "The Wounded", the
alien race of the Cardassians make their first appearance; as they would later go on to be featured within the storyline for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
The season finale, "Redemption", was the 100th episode, and the cast
and crew (including creator Gene Roddenberry) celebrated the historic
milestone on the bridge set. Footage of this was seen in the Star Trek
25th anniversary special, hosted by William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy,
which aired later in the year. Seven fourth-season episodes were
nominated for eight Emmys; "The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" won for both Outstanding Sound Editing in a Series and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Series.[11] Character Wesley Crusher left the series in Season 4 to go to Starfleet Academy. "Family"
was the first Star Trek episode to not have a bridge scene during the
entire episode, and is the only TNG episode where Lt. Commander Data
does not appear on-screen.
The fifth season's "Unification" opened with a dedication to Star Trek
creator Gene Roddenberry (even though the prior episode, "The Game,"
aired four days after his death). Roddenberry, though he had recently
died, continued to be credited as "Executive Producer" for the rest of
the season. The cast and crew learned of his death during the
production of "Hero Worship", a later season five episode. Seven fifth-season episodes were nominated for eight Emmys; "Cost of Living"
won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a
Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Makeup for a Series,
and "A Matter of Time" and "Conundrum" tied for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Special Visual Effects. In addition, "The Inner Light" became the first television episode since the 1968 original series Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" to win a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation.[11]
Season five saw the introduction of a jacket for Picard, worn
periodically throughout the rest of the show's run. The observation
lounge set was altered with the removal of the gold model starships
across the interior wall and the addition of lighting beneath the
windows. Recurring character Ensign Ro Laren was introduced in the fifth season.
The sixth season brought aboard a new set of changes. Now Rick
Berman and Michael Piller's time was split between the newly-created Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation. Three sixth-season episodes were nominated for Emmys; "Time's Arrow, Part II"
won for both Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a
Series and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Hairstyling for a
Series and "A Fistful of Datas" won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Drama Series.[11]
The seventh season was The Next Generation's last. The finale, "All Good Things...",
was a double-length episode (separated into two parts for reruns) aired
the week of May 19, 1994, revisiting the events of the pilot and
providing a bookend to the series. Toronto's SkyDome
played host to a massive event for the series finale. Thousands of
people packed the stadium to watch the final episode on the stadium's JumboTron.
Five seventh-season episodes were nominated for nine Emmys, and the
series as a whole was the first syndicated television series nomination
for Outstanding Drama Series. To this day, The Next Generation
is the only syndicated drama to be nominated in this category. "All
Good Things..." won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Special
Visual Effects and "Genesis"
won for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Drama
Series. "All Good Things..." also won the second of the series' two
Hugo Awards.[11]
First Officer (TNG episode: "Chain of Command")/or when Picard is not available and Riker usually is in command
Helmsman (TNG episode: "Encounter at Farpoint")
The cast underwent several changes through the series' run. Denise
Crosby chose to leave the show shortly before the first season ended.[11]
Michael Dorn's Worf replaced Tasha Yar as security chief and tactical
officer. Crosby returned to portray Yar in alternate timelines in "Yesterday's Enterprise" and "All Good Things...". Crosby also played Yar's half-Romulan daughter, Sela.
Gates McFadden, as Beverly Crusher, was replaced after the first
season by Katherine Pulaski, played by Diana Muldaur, during the second
season. Muldaur never received billing in the opening credits, and
instead was listed as a special guest star in the credits shown during
the first act. Pulaski proved unpopular with viewers and was dropped at
the end of the second season; McFadden returned for seasons 3–7 and
reprised her role as Crusher.
Wesley Crusher was also written out of the show. According to actor
Wil Wheaton's website, he wanted to leave the show because he was
frustrated by having to fit other roles around his Trek schedule
despite his character's diminishing role in the series.[17] Wesley Crusher reappears in several later episodes.
The Helmsman
position has been held the most times on this show by members of the
main cast, as well as members of the secondary cast. The main character
Wesley Crusher has held this position more often than any other character on this show.
Portrayed Cliff Secord in the film The Rocketeer. Campbell was the second choice of the Star Trek: The Next Generation
producers to play the role of William Riker, but lost the role to
Jonathan Frakes. His first prominent role was that of Luke Fuller,
Steven Carrington's lover on the soap opera Dynasty.
Portrayed 1980s TV character Max Headroom and Edgar Jacobi/Moloch the Mystic in the film Watchmen. The role of Berlingoff Rasmussen was originally going to be portrayed by Robin Williams.
Was a choice to play "Jadzia Dax" in the spinoff Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but replaced by Terry Farrell. Also has acted with Scott Bakula (Lord of Illusions) and Patrick Stewart (X-Men films), both of whom played captains of the starship Enterprise.
Former NASA astronaut, first African-American woman in space. Flew on the Space Shuttle Endeavour as part of the STS-47 mission crew. First actual astronaut to appear on Star Trek.
Daughter of Naomi Judd and sister of Wynonna Judd, noted country musicians. Played Claire Kubik in High Crimes. Played Charlene Shiherlis in the 1995 film Heat. Made a statement on Late Night with David Letterman that Lefler was to have been married to Wesley Crusher, however this was later proven to be false.
Singer, songwriter, and actress. She gained fame as a member of the 1960s group The Mamas & the Papas, and is the last surviving original member of the group.
A noted character actor, he currently plays "Arthur 'Artie' Nielsen" in the Syfy series Warehouse 13. Rubinek also played recurring character “Donny Douglas” on Frasier.
Known for portraying Tuvok on "Star Trek: Voyager"
as well as having made several appearances throughout the Star Trek
franchise as different characters. Has had speaking lines (as different
characters) with Captain Kirk, Captain Picard, Captain Sisko, Captain
Sulu and Captain Janeway. Was also a serious runner up to play the
character of Geordi La Forge but lost to LeVar Burton.
Acclaimed English actress known for such roles as Varinia in Spartacus and Ophelia in Hamlet. She also starred in North and South alongside a young Jonathan Frakes.
Some sets used in the Original Series-era films were redressed for The Next Generation, and in turn used for subsequent Original Series films.[30] Part of the transporter room set in The Next Generation was used in the original Star Trek's transporter set.[30]
Variants of Enterprise's LCARS computer interface appear in the Deep Space Nine and Voyager spinoffs and the Next Generation-era films.[31] The series also established the five-number stardate, with the second digit corresponding to the season; Deep Space Nine's opening stardate of 46379 aligns with The Next Generation's sixth season, and Voyager's 48315 places it in what would have been The Next Generation's eighth season.[31]
Three original Star Trek main actors appear as their original series characters in The Next Generation: DeForest Kelley as Leonard McCoy in "Encounter at Farpoint", Leonard Nimoy as Spock in both halves of "Unification", and James Doohan as Montgomery Scott in "Relics".[11]Mark Lenard played Sarek for both "Sarek" and "Unification, Part I", and Majel Barrett reprised her role of voicing the Enterprise's computer, as well as playing Deanna's mother, Lwaxana Troi.[11] The Romulans reprise their antagonistic role in The Next Generation, although the Klingons reappear as Federation allies.[11]
The Next Generation introduces two characters who would later have lead roles in Deep Space Nine: Miles O'Brien (played by Colm Meaney) and Worf.[32] The character who eventually became Kira Nerys was initially intended to be a reprisal of Michelle Forbes' Next Generation character, Ro Laren.[32] Additional Next Generation characters who appear in Deep Space Nine include Q, the Duras sisters, Klingon Chancellor Gowron, Kurn (Worf's brother), Alexander Rozhenko (Worf's son), Keiko O'Brien (Miles' wife), Molly O'Brien (Miles' daughter), Lwaxana Troi, Thomas Riker, Vash and Gul Evek.[32]
Deanna Troi and William Riker appear in the Enterprise finale "These Are the Voyages..." Data has a voice over cameo in that same episode.
The Ferengi, conceived but panned as The Next Generation's recurring antagonists,[11] appear in subsequent Star Trek spin-offs.[31]The Next Generation also introduces the Borg, Cardassian, Trill and Bajoran species, all of which, along with the Maquis resistance group, play a part in both Deep Space Nine and Voyager.[31]
The following Next Generation cast members have appeared as various other characters in other Star Trek productions.
Patrick Stewart (Picard) appeared in the first Deep Space Nine episode "Emissary, Part I".
Jonathan Frakes (Riker) appeared in Deep Space Nine episode "Defiant" as Thomas Riker, the transporter accident-created twin brother of his main character (from TNG episode "Second Chances"). He also appeared in the Voyager episode "Death Wish" and in the Star Trek: Enterprise series finale "These Are the Voyages...".
Marina Sirtis (Troi) reprised the role of Deanna Troi for several episodes of Star Trek: Voyager and appeared alongside Frakes in the Enterprise finale "These Are the Voyages...".
Brent Spiner (Data) appeared in three Star Trek: Enterprise episodes as Noonien Soong's ancestor, Arik Soong.
Colm Meaney (O'Brien) reprised his role as Miles O'Brien on Deep Space Nine.
Diana Muldaur
(Pulaski) appeared in The Original Series episodes "Return to Tomorrow"
as Lt. Commander Ann Mulhall, and "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" as Dr.
Miranda Jones.
Majel Barrett Roddenberry
(Lwaxana Troi and the ship's computer) appeared in The Original Series
as recurring character Nurse Christine Chapel, though she was
originally cast as "Number One" in the pilot. She also was the voice
for the Federation computers in every series.
John de Lancie (Q) appeared in The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager.
Dwight Schultz (Lt. Reginald Barclay), who appeared throughout The Next Generation (including in the film Star Trek: First Contact), became a recurring character on Voyager as Barclay becomes integral to the return of the ship to Federation space.
LeVar Burton (LaForge) reprised his role as Geordi LaForge in the Voyager episode "Timeless"
Jonathan Frakes and LeVar Burton (Riker & LaForge) have also directed episodes of Deep Space Nine and Voyager. Burton also directed episodes of Enterprise.
The following actors from other Star Trek productions have appeared in guest spots on The Next Generation as other characters.
Armin Shimerman (Quark of Deep Space Nine)
appeared in "The Last Outpost" as the Ferengi Letek, "Haven" as the
face of a Betazoid gift box, and "Peak Performance" as Ferengi DaiMon
Bractor.
Max Grodénchik (Rom of Deep Space Nine) appeared in "Captain's Holiday" as Ferengi Sovak, and "The Perfect Mate" as Ferengi Par Lenor.
Ethan Phillips guest stars as the Ferengi Farek, and a holodeck character in Star Trek: First Contact. He later appears in Star Trek: Voyager as Neelix.
Marc Alaimo (Dukat of Deep Space Nine)
appeared in "Lonely Among Us" as Antican Badar N'D'D, in "The Neutral
Zone" as the Romulan commander Tebok, in "The Wounded" as the
Cardassian Gul Macet, and in "Time's Arrow" as the poker player
Frederick La Rouque.
Salome Jens (the Female Shapeshifter of Deep Space Nine) appeared in "The Chase" as an ancient humanoid.
Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris of Voyager) appeared in "The First Duty" as Nova Squadron leader Nicholas Locarno.
Tim Russ (Tuvok of Voyager)
appeared in "Starship Mine" as technician Devor, as the Klingon T'Kar
in the Deep Space Nine episode "Invasive Procedures" and as a bridge
officer in Star Trek: Generations. (Some fans attribute Russ' appearance in Generations to be Tuvok earlier in life, rather than a separate character)
James Cromwell, who plays the prime minister in "The Hunted", also plays Dr. Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact and the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Broken Bow" as well as a reprise of the First Contact footage in the Enterprise episode "In a Mirror, Darkly", Jaglom Shrek in TNG episodes "Birthright" parts 1 and 2, and Hanok in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Starship Down".
The series has also inspired numerous novels, analytical books, websites, and works of fan fiction.
On October 7, 2006, one of the three original filming models of the USS Enterprise-D used on the show sold at a Christie's auction for USD $576,000, making it the highest-selling item at the event.[33]
The series' first season was released on DVD in March 2002.
Throughout the year the next six seasons were released at various times
on DVD, with the seventh season being released in December 2002. To
commemorate the series' 20th anniversary, CBS Home Entertainment and Paramount Home Entertainment released Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Complete Series on October 2, 2007. The DVD box set contains 49 discs.
At a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas in August, 2010, a representative for CBS Consumer Products was quoted as saying that remastering the show for HD would be "extremely difficult."[34] As with the original series, TNG
was shot on 35mm film, including most of the major visual effects
elements (ex. ships), but unlike the original series, most other
effects and compositing were done at SD resolution on D1 video.
This leaves CBS Home Entertainment with only two options. The first would be to upscale the original 480i SD masters to the 1080p resolution of the Blu-ray format, an option clearly unacceptable to both CBS Home Entertainment executives and Star Trek
fans alike. The second—and more likely—approach would be to make new HD
transfers of the original 35mm elements and recomposite them at 1080p, with sparing usage of CGI.
^Nemecek, Larry (1992). "Rebirth". In Stern, Dave. The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion. 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020: Pocket Books. p. 1. ISBN0671794604.
^Alexander, David (1994). Star Trek Creator: The Authorized Biography of Gene Roddenberry. Roc. ISBN0-451-45440-5.
^Dillard, J. M. (1994). Star Trek: "Where No One Has Gone Before" : A History in Pictures (Star Trek (Trade/hardcover)). Pocket Books. pp. 130–131. ISBN0-671-51149-1. ""The writers were being rewritten by Gene, and there was a lot of tumult because people didn't know where they stood.""
