1988 (production)

Real world article
(written from a Production point of view)

For information about 1988 in the fictional Star Trek universe, please see 1988.

Production

1 February – TNG: "11001001" airs.
3 February – Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home premieres in France.
5 February – Bennie E. Dobbins dies. The score for TNG: "When The Bough Breaks" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
8 February – TNG: "Too Short a Season" airs.
10 February – Jade and Nikita Ramsey are born.
15 February – TNG: "When The Bough Breaks" airs.
19 February – Larry Forrester dies.
20 February – Rihanna is born.
21 February – Blaisdel Makee dies.
22 February – TNG: "Home Soil" airs.
Pocket TOS #38: The IDIC Epidemic by Jean Lorrah is published by Pocket Books.

11 March – The score for TNG: "Heart of Glory" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
12 March – Karen Steele dies.
14 March – TNG: "Coming of Age" airs.
15 March – Rik Vollaerts dies.
18 March –
- Ronald Tang is born.
- Alan Gibbs dies.
21 March – TNG: "Heart of Glory" airs.

5 April – The score for TNG: "Skin of Evil" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
10 April – Haley Joel Osment is born.
11 April – TNG: "The Arsenal of Freedom" airs.
18 April – TNG: "Symbiosis" airs.
19 April – The score for TNG: "We'll Always Have Paris" is recorded at Paramount Stage M, conducted by Ron Jones.
20 April – Noah Averbach-Katz is born.
23 April – Erica Mer is born.
25 April – TNG: "Skin of Evil" airs. Denise Crosby leaves the cast.
29 April – The score for TNG: "Conspiracy" is recorded at the Universal Studios Scoring Stage.
Pocket TOS #39: Time for Yesterday by A.C. Crispin is published by Pocket Books.

13 June – Bree Wasylenko is born.
26 June – Katie and Kellie Cockrell are born.
TNG Season 2 begins production, but is substantially delayed due to a Writer's Guild strike. Diana Muldaur joins the cast as Doctor Pulaski, replacing Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher.
Pocket TOS #40: Timetrap by David Dvorkin is published by Pocket Books.

4 October – Final draft script for TNG: "The Outrageous Okona" is submitted.
11 October – Morgan Farley dies. Filming begins on Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
12 October – Filming is completed on TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease". Second revised final draft script for TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data" is submitted.
13 October – Filming begins on TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data".
15 October – Julian Davidson dies.
21 October – Filming is completed on TNG: "Elementary, Dear Data".
24 October – Filming begins on TNG: "The Outrageous Okona".
Pocket TOS #42: Memory Prime by Garfield & Judith Reeves-Stevens is published by Pocket Books.

1 November – Filming is completed on TNG: "The Outrageous Okona".
2 November – Filming begins on TNG: "The Schizoid Man".
9 November – Billy Curtis dies.
10 November – Filming is completed on TNG: "The Schizoid Man".
11 November – Filming begins on TNG: "Loud As A Whisper".
21 November – The second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation premieres with "The Child". The episode's late airdate is due to the Writer's Guild strike, and the script is recycled from an old Star Trek: Phase II story. Whoopi Goldberg makes the first of several recurring appearances as Guinan.
28 November –
- Scarlett Pomers born.
- TNG: "Where Silence Has Lease" airs.
Pocket TNG #3: The Children of Hamlin by Carmen Carter is published by Pocket Books.

Josh Bell, Alex Chung, Jodi Johnston, and Sam Klatman are born.
CIC Video begins its release of Star Trek series on VHS in the UK with TOS Season 1.