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Star Trek: The Next Generation
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Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction TV show created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, about 70 years after the original Star Trek, the program features a new crew and a new starship Enterprise. It premiered the week of September 28, 1987 to some 27 million viewers 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 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.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation is a science fiction TV show created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Set in the 24th century, about 70 years after the original Star Trek, the program features a new crew and a new starship Enterprise. It premiered the week of September 28, 1987 to some 27 million viewers 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 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 its predecessor, 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 syndicated television show to be nominated for the Emmy for Best Dramatic Series. It was nominated for three Hugo Awards and won two, becoming the first television series since the original Star Trek to be recognized. 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 tenth Star Trek films.
Production
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. 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.
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.
The Next Generation was shot on 35mm film, and was one of the first television shows with sound recorded in Dolby Surround. The filming negatives were scanned in a straight-to-video device.
Season one
The first season was marked by a "revolving door" of writers, with Gerrold and Fontana quitting after disputes with Roddenberry.
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." Other targets of criticism include poor special effects and plots being resolved by the deus ex machina of Wesley Crusher saving the ship. 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.
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 Will 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 into 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", 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.
Season two
The show underwent significant changes during its second season. Beverly Crusher was replaced as chief medical officer during the season 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 in season two. 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. Both episodes were critically panned.
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. 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. 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. Miles O'Brien also became a more prominent character during the second season, while Geordi La Forge found a position as chief engineer. In fact, many critics of the first season panned the Engineering department for not having a stay-in Chief Engineer, as a result, many guest stars were for the 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 lover K'Ehleyr. 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.
Seasons three to seven
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 passed away on October 24, 1991). Roddenberry gave Piller and Berman the executive producer jobs, and they remained in that position for the rest of the series' run. Doctor Crusher came back to replace Doctor Pulaski who was always noted as a guest star in 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", meaning that he wrote most TNG episodes dealing with the Klingon Empire (though he wrote some Romulan stories as well). 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.
Brannon Braga and Jeri Taylor joined the show in its fourth season. 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.
The fifth season's "Unification" opens with a dedication to Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. He was still credited as "Executive Producer," even after his death. He was no longer credited in that title after the fifth season finale "Time's Arrow, Part I." 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 there was a tie between "A Matter of Time" and "Conundrum" 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.
The sixth season brought aboard a new set of changes. Now the writing staff was split between the newly-created Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and The Next Generation. Despite this, many writers wrote for both. 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.
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, which was renamed 'Rogers Centre' in 2005, played host to a massive CITY-TV-sponsored 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. It didn't win the coveted award, however. "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.
Cast
| Main Cast | | Actor | Character | Main Position | Other Positions Held | Appearances | Character's Species | Rank |
|---|
| Patrick Stewart | Jean-Luc Picard | Commanding Officer | | Seasons 1-7 | Human | Captain | | Jonathan Frakes | William Riker | First Officer | | Seasons 1-7 | Human | Commander | | LeVar Burton | Geordi LaForge | Chief Engineer | Conn Officer (Season 1) | Seasons 1-7 | Human | Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Season 1),
Lieutenant (Season 2),
Lieutenant Commander (Seasons 3-7) | | Michael Dorn | Worf | Chief of Security / Tactical Officer | Tactical / Conn officer
(Season 1) | Seasons 1-7 | Klingon | Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Season 1),
Lieutenant (Seasons 2-7) | | Gates McFadden | Beverly Crusher | Chief Medical Officer | Head of Starfleet Medical (Season 2) | Seasons 1, 3-7 | Human | Commander | | Marina Sirtis | Deanna Troi | Ship's Counselor | | Seasons 1-7 | Betazoid / Human | Lieutenant Commander (Seasons 1-7),
Commander (Season 7) | | Brent Spiner | Data | Second Officer/Chief Operations Officer/Chief Science Officer | | Seasons 1-7
Appearances as Lore (recurring) | Android | Lieutenant Commander | | Former Main Cast | | Wil Wheaton | Wesley Crusher | Conn Officer | | Seasons 1-4
Guest Appearances: Seasons 5 & 7 | Human | Acting Ensign (Seasons 1-3),
Ensign (Seasons 3-4),
Cadet (Seasons 4-7) | | Denise Crosby | Tasha Yar | Chief of Security / Tactical Officer
| | Season 1
Guest Appearances:
Seasons 3 & 7
Seasons 4 & 5 (as Sela) | Human | Lieutenant | | Diana Muldaur | Katherine Pulaski | Chief Medical Officer | | Season 2 | Human | Commander | | Secondary Main Cast | | Colm Meaney | Miles O'Brien | Transporter Chief | Conn Officer (Season 1) | Seasons 2-6
Guest Appearance:
Season 7 | Human | Chief Petty Officer | | Rosalind Chao | Keiko O'Brien | Botanist | | Seasons 4-6 | Human | Civilian | | Patti Yasutake | Alyssa Ogawa | Nurse | | Seasons 4-7 | Human | Ensign (Seasons 4-7),
Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Season 7) | | Whoopi Goldberg | Guinan | Bartender | | Seasons 2-6 | El-Aurian | Civilian | | Michelle Forbes | Ro Laren | Conn Officer | | Seasons 5-7 | Bajoran | Ensign (Seasons 5-6),
Lieutenant (Season 7) | | Dwight Schultz | Reginald Barclay | Diagnostic Technician / Systems Engineer | | Seasons 3-7 | Human | Lieutenant, Junior Grade | | Majel Barrett | Lwaxana Troi | Federation Ambassador | | Seasons 1-7
Other Appearances:
Voice of Ship's Computer | Betazoid | Ambassador | | Recurring Ship Crewmembers & Starfleet Personnel | | Lanei Chapman | Sariel Rager | Conn Officer | | Seasons 4 & 6 | Human | Ensign | | Scott Trost | Shipley | Transporter Officer | Diagnostic Technician (Season 6) | Seasons 3-6 | Human | Ensign (Seasons 3-5),
Lieutenant, Junior Grade (Season 6) | | Cameron Oppenheimer | Kellogg | Security Officer | | Seasons 4-7 | Human | Ensign | | Guy Vardaman | Darien Wallace | Engineering Officer | Conn Officer (Season 1) | Seasons 1-7 | Human | Lieutenant | | Michael Braveheart | Martinez | Medical Officer | | Seasons 2-7 | Human | Ensign | | Julie Warner | Christy Henshaw | Operations Officer | | Season 3 | Human | Lieutenant |
The cast underwent several changes through the series' run. Denise Crosby chose to leave the show shortly before the first season ended. 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 decreasing role in the series. Wesley Crusher reappears in several later episodes.
Plot
The episodes follow the adventures of the crew of the Galaxy-class USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D. As the United Federation of Planets flagship, the Enterprise is designed for both exploration and diplomacy but is also formidable in combat situations if necessary.
Patrick Stewart's voiceover during each episode's opening credits was patterned after that of the original series, but the phrase "continuing mission" replaces Star Trek's "five year mission", and the gender-neutral phrase "no one" replaces "no man":
The Enterprise's crew contact and discover many races and species with whom they interact as a means of exploring the "human" condition. Dramatic devices such as time travel or temporal loops, natural disasters, holodeck malfunctions, and other internal and external conflicts often occur without alien encounters, though these, too, are used to explore issues of humanity.
Episodes
Best episodes
To celebrate the series' 20th anniversary, Entertainment Weekly chose its "Top 10 Episodes":
- "Yesterday's Enterprise"
- "The Best of Both Worlds", Parts I and II
- "The Inner Light"
- "Tapestry"
- "All Good Things..."
- "The Measure of a Man"
- "Sins of the Father"
- "First Contact"
- "The First Duty"
- "Chain of Command", Parts I and II.
Connections with other Star Trek incarnations
The show's theme combines the fanfare from the original series theme by Alexander Courage with Jerry Goldsmith's theme for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
The Next Generation has other similarities to Star Trek: The Motion Picture, itself spun from the plans for Star Trek: Phase II. The movie's Willard Decker and Ilia bear similarities to The Next Generation's Will Riker and Deanna Troi. The series' second-season premiere was based on a Phase II script, as was the courtroom drama "Devil's Due".
Some sets used in the Original Series-era films were redressed for The Next Generation, and in turn used for subsequent Original Series films. Part of the transporter room set in The Next Generation was used in the original Star Trek's transporter set.
Variants of Enterprise's LCARS computer interface appear in the Deep Space Nine and Voyager spinoffs and the Next Generation-era films. 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.
Characters and races
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". 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. A script that reportedly featured the character of Harry Mudd, a recurring criminal in Star Trek, was cancelled when Roger C. Carmel died. The Romulans reprise their antagonistic role in The Next Generation, although the Klingons reappear as Federation allies.
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. The character who eventually became Kira Nerys was initially intended to be a reprisal of Michelle Forbes' Next Generation character, Ro Laren. Additional Next Generation characters who appear in Deep Space Nine include Q, the Duras sisters, Klingon Chancellor Gowron, Klingon 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.
Reginald Barclay, Deanna Troi, Q, William Riker and LaForge appear in Voyager. Tom Paris, a main character in Voyager, was based on the Next Generation character Nicholas Locarno; Robert Duncan McNeill, who played Locarno, went on to play Paris.
Deanna Troi and William Riker appear in the Enterprise finale "These Are the Voyages..."
The Ferengi, conceived but panned as The Next Generation's recurring antagonists, appear in subsequent Star Trek spin-offs. The Next Generation also introduces the Borg, Cardassian, Trill and Bajoran species, along with the Maquis resistance group, all of which play a part in both Deep Space Nine and Voyager.
Deep Space Nine's Julian Bashir, played by Alexander Siddig, appears in The Next Generation's "Birthright, Part I", and Armin Shimerman played Quark for "Firstborn".
Actor crossovers
The following Next Generation cast members have appeared as various other characters in other Star Trek productions.
- 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").
- Michael Dorn (Worf) appeared in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country as his ancestor Klingon Colonel Worf.
- Brent Spiner (Data) appeared in three Star Trek: Enterprise episodes as Noonien Soong's ancestor, Arik Soong.
- 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.
- 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 McNeil (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 also as a bridge officer in Star Trek: Generations
- James Cromwell, who plays the prime minister in The Hunted, also plays the role of Dr. Zefram Cochrane in Star Trek: First Contact and Star Trek: Enterprise episode Broken Bow, Jaglom Shrek in Star Trek: TNG episodes Birthright Parts 1 and 2 in season six and Hanok in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode Starship Down.
Legacy
Four films feature the series' characters:
Three other Star Trek TV series succeeded The Next Generation:
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.
DVD release
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. They have been critisized as too expensive compared to other TV shows.
See also
External links
- Library of DVD screen captures (still images) from every episode of the Next Generation.
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