Star Trek: The Next Generation, episode guide

S T O R Y
The 24th century. USS Enterprise NCC-1701-D is a spaceship in star class under the command of captain Jean-Luc Picard. It is the fifth spaceship named Enterprise, about 8 times bigger than the first one with little over a 1000 crewmembers on board including women and children. The ar to travel further out than ever in their search for new life and new civilizations.

F A C T S
"Star Trek: The Next Generation" is the third Star Trek TV series and is taking place a quarter of a century after captain Kirk and his accomplishment. In the passed time chronology of the Star Trek universe technically achievements must have been made and therefore new things as for excample the holodeck and the replicator is added. Lwaxana Troi is a part, Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the TV series and executive producer, creates for his wife, Majel Barrett, who also gets the steady job as the computers voice (is not credited before later on). Also Q (John de Lancie) becomes a character, the crew aboard the Enterprise is to meet throughout the show. Each episode costs 1 million dollar to produce, but very high ratings makes it attractive to keep alive. The show has more than once been nominated to prizes but has never won - likely, because it is broadcasted as syndication, which is broadcasting from a central place on a network of TV stations, which is only a coorporation between independent TV stations. To an american that is interpreted as a TV series with poor quality and low standards, which is understood by Gene Roddenberry, who chose that form learning from the earlier mistake in the 1960'erne, where NBC closed Star Trek, and could not prevent it. This way he has completely control over the fate of the show. No one is believing the series will go beyond season 1, but it does. And that in spite of fans of the original series making waves about the new series - in the beginning, but even them and the critical reviewer goes from thumbs down to up, as the recognizes the Star Trek philosophy is intact - also in the new packing. Midseason it is spread that the casting is to be adjusted for the upcoming season and makes Denise Crosby to let herself to be written out. Something she regrets, as she finds out the episodes written after her decision involves her character in some very interesting stories. She returns though in guest appearances throughout the seasons which is do to her own suggestions. Also Gates McFadden (chief medical officer Beverly Crusher) leaves the series - though not a decision she makes - so a new lineup is ready as season 2 starts. Worf (Michael Dorn) has become security chief, Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) chief engineer, which no one was before, and Katherine Pulaski (Diana Muldaur) is the new chief medical officer aboard taking over from Crusher, but that character is only made a guest appearance and therefore not shown in the intro. While season 1 were evocative much like the original series - which is probably due to the music and the reuse of manuscripts written for the cancelled TV series in the late 1970's - season 2 is a period of development where new stages are build and amongst them Ten Forward, the rendezvous on Enterprise where Whoopie Goldberg as the character Guinan makes guest appearances up until and including season 6. In season 3 the TV series has found its own course and Gates McFadden returns - and the fans are happy. Gene Roddenberry's health is dropping and only visits the sets sporadically, so it is Rick Berman who as executive producer takes the dayly decisions. Michael Piller has in season 3 the responsibilty of the manuscripts but he has no intention of staying beyond the third season planning to use this job as a jumping-off point to other projects. As he writes the episode "The Best of Both Worlds", the cliffhanger in the end of the season, he actually does not know how it ends. He really do not care, but as he is persuaded to be executive producer along with Rick Berman the problem returns as a boomerang. He does finish the story but not with ease and the two part episode is one of the most popular in the Star Trek franchise. Gene Roddenberry dies in 1991 while producing season 5 and he is remembered in the two part episode "Unification" with Leonard Nimoy appearing as Spock - a seal of approval in favour to the fans of the original series who liked this series even more. And it continues in season 6 where James Doohan as Montgomery Scott makes a guest appearance on the series, but as early as in the PILOT episode there is a scene with DeForest Kelley.

Title:

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Created by:

Gene Roddenberry

Genre:

Science Fiction

Country:

USA

Aired:

28 Sep 1987 - 23 May 1994

No. of Seasons:

7

No. of Episodes:

178 + 4 movies

Running Time:

44 minutter

Format:

1.33:1 (4:3)

Soundtrack:

Stereo [1 - 3]
/ Stereo Surround

Produced by:

Paramount

Network:

syndication

Comment:

Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6
Season 7

Episodes

Cast