1987 (production)

Events

January

• 11 January – Devon MacDonald is born.
• 29 January – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Argentina.

February

• Early February – Leonard Maizlish is given his own offices on the Paramount studio lot and starts his detrimental influence on the production of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• 17 February – First draft script for TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint" is submitted.
• 28 February – Michelle Horn is born.
• Unknown day – Pocket TOS #32: Chain of Attack by Gene DeWeese is published by Pocket Books.

March

• 2 March –
  • John E. Chilberg II dies.
  • Construction is started at Industrial Light & Magic, contracted for the build of the studio models, on the six-foot USS Enterprise-D studio model for use as the new "hero" ship in the new Star Trek spin-off series, Star Trek: The Next Generation.
• 6 March – First story concept for TNG: "Code of Honor" is submitted.
• 7 March – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Japan.
• 10 March – Ser'Darius Blain is born.
• 11 March – Nick Borgani dies.
• 16 March – Second draft script for TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint" is submitted.
• 26 March – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in West Germany.
• 30 March – Marley McClean is born.

April

• 10 April – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in the UK.
• 13 April – Final draft script for TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint" is submitted.
• 15 April – Zach Duhame is born.
• 16 April – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in the Netherlands.
• 18 April –
  • Jessica McKenna is born.
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Ireland.
• 27 April – First draft script for TNG: "The Naked Now" is submitted.
• Unknown day – Pocket TOS #33: Deep Domain by Howard Weinstein is published by Pocket Books.

May

• 1 May – Original story concept for TNG: "The Last Outpost" is submitted.
• 4 May – Mike Minor dies.
• 7 May – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Brazil.
• 26 May – 28 May – Rehearsals for TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint".
• 28 May – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Uruguay.
• 29 May –
  • Grace Lynn Kung is born.
  • First unit filming begins on "Encounter at Farpoint", the pilot of Star Trek: The Next Generation. On the first day, location filming takes place at Griffith Park for the holodeck forest and stream scenes.

June

• 1 June –
  • Soundstage filming beings on "Encounter at Farpoint".
  • Second unit filming also starts with the first footage shot of the six-foot Enterprise-D model at ILM, which had secured an additional commission to provide the pilot episode with the visual effects.
• 2 June – Patrick Stewart films his first scene as Captain Jean-Luc Picard and DeForest Kelley films his cameo as Admiral Leonard McCoy for "Encounter at Farpoint".
• 11 June – Vijay Suzuki is born.
• 12 June – Luke Humphrey is born.
• 18 June – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Colombia.
• 22 June – Fred Astaire dies.
• 25 June –
  • Filming ends on "Encounter at Farpoint".
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Peru.
• Unknown day – Pocket TOS #34: Dreams of the Raven by Carmen Carter is published by Pocket Books.

July

• 2 July – Revised final draft script for TNG: "Code of Honor" is submitted.
• 3 July – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Italy.
• 4 July – Jason Liles is born.
• 6 July – Filming begins on TNG: "The Naked Now".
• 10 July – Vic Toyota dies.
• 13 July – Elyssa D. Vito is born. Filming is completed on TNG: "The Naked Now".
• 15 July – Filming begins on TNG: "Code of Honor".
• 16 July – ILM filmed scenes with the Old Bandi City studio model for TNG: "Encounter at Farpoint".
• 24 July –
  • Filming is completed on TNG: "Code of Honor".
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Denmark.
• 25 July – Michael Welch is born.
• 27 July – Filming begins on TNG: "Haven".
• 31 July – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Portugal.
• Unknown day – Pocket TOS Strangers from the Sky by Margaret Wander Bonanno is published by Pocket Books.

August

• 4 August – Filming is completed on TNG: "Haven".
• 5 August – Filming begins on TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before".
• 7 August – Revised final draft script for TNG: "The Last Outpost" is submitted.
• 14 August – Filming is completed on TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before".
• 17 August – Filming begins on TNG: "The Last Outpost".
• 20 August – Bertrand Roberson, Jr. is born; the score for TNG: "The Naked Now" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
• 21 August –
  • Karl Bruck dies.
  • Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in Spain.
• 25 August – Filming is completed on TNG: "The Last Outpost".
• 26 August –
  • Michelle and Rochelle Chelle are born.
  • Filming begins on TNG: "Lonely Among Us".
• 27 August – Final draft script for TNG: "Justice" is submitted.
• Unknown day – Pocket TOS #35: The Romulan Way by Diane Duane and Peter Morwood is published by Pocket Books.

September

• 1 September – The main title for Star Trek: The Next Generation is recorded at Paramount Stage M.
• 3 September – Filming is completed on TNG: "Lonely Among Us".
• 8 September – Filming begins on TNG: "Justice".
• 11 September – The score for TNG: "Code of Honor" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Fred Steiner.
• 13 September – Marcus Henderson is born.
• 16 September – Filming is completed on TNG: "Justice".
• 17 September – Filming begins on TNG: "The Battle".
• 25 September – Filming is completed on TNG: "The Battle". The score for TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
• 28 September – Star Trek: The Next Generation is launched in first-run syndication, piloting with the episode "Encounter at Farpoint". Filming begins on TNG: "Hide and Q".

October

• 1 October – The score for TNG: "Haven" is recorded at Paramount Stage M.
• 5 October – The first regular episode of TNG Season 1, "The Naked Now", premieres.
• 7 October – Filming is completed on TNG: "Hide and Q".
• 8 October – Filming begins on TNG: "Too Short a Season".
• 12 October – TNG: "Code of Honor" airs.
• 15 October – The score for TNG: "Lonely Among Us" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
• 16 October – Filming is completed on "Too Short a Season".
• 19 October – TNG: "The Last Outpost" airs. Filming begins on TNG: "The Big Goodbye".
• 26 October – TNG: "Where No One Has Gone Before" airs.
• 27 October – Filming is completed on TNG: "The Big Goodbye".
• 28 October – Filming begins on TNG: "Datalore".
• Unknown day –
  • Pocket TNG Encounter at Farpoint by David Gerrold is published by Pocket Books.
  • Pocket TOS #36: How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford is published by Pocket Books.

November

• 2 November – TNG: "Lonely Among Us" airs.
• 4 November – Final draft script for "Angel One" is submitted.
• 5 November – The score for TNG: "The Battle" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
• 6 November – Filming is completed on TNG: "Datalore".
• 9 November – TNG: "Justice" airs.
• 11 November – Filming begins on TNG: "Angel One".
• 16 November –
  • TNG: "The Battle" airs.
  • The score for TNG: "Hide and Q" is recorded at Paramount Stage M.
• 19 November
  • Filming is completed on TNG: "Angel One".
  • Paramount announces the renewal of TNG for a second season.
• 20 November – Filming begins on TNG: "11001001".
• 23 November – TNG: "Hide and Q" airs.
• 27 November – Richard Rubin dies.
• 30 November – TNG: "Haven" airs.

December

• 2 December – Filming is completed on TNG: "11001001".
• 3 December – Filming begins on TNG: "Home Soil".
• 10 December – The score for TNG: "The Big Goodbye" is recorded at Paramount Stage M.
• 14 December – Filming is completed on TNG: "Home Soil".
• 15 December – Filming begins on TNG: "When The Bough Breaks".
• 18 December – The score for TNG: "Datalore" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
• 23 December – Filming is completed on TNG: "When The Bough Breaks".
• 28 December – Thomas Alexander Dekker is born.
• Unknown day – Pocket TOS #37: Bloodthirst by J.M. Dillard is published by Pocket Books.