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The Next Generation redirects here; for the PIC episode of the same name, please see "The Next Generation".

Star Trek: The Next Generation, often abbreviated to TNG, is the second live-action Star Trek television series, and the first set in the 24th century. Like its predecessors, it was created by Gene Roddenberry. Produced at Paramount Pictures, it aired in first-run syndication, by Paramount Television in the US, from September 1987 to May 1994. The series was set in the 24th century and featured the voyages of the starship USS Enterprise-D under Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

The series led to four spin-offs set in the same time period: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, which it ran alongside during its final two seasons, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Picard. It is also the beginning of a contiguous period of time during which there was always at least one Star Trek series in production, ending with Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005.

Summary[]

Star Trek: The Next Generation moved the universe forward roughly a century past the days of James T. Kirk and Spock. The series depicted a new age in which the Klingons were allies of the Federation, though the Romulans remained adversaries. New threats included the Ferengi (although they were later used more for comic relief), the Cardassians, and the Borg. While Star Trek: The Original Series was clearly made in the 1960s, the first two seasons of The Next Generation show all the markings of a 1980s product, complete with Spandex uniforms.

As with the original Star Trek, TNG was still very much about exploration, "boldly going where no one has gone before". Similarly, the plots captured the adventures of the crew of a starship, namely the USS Enterprise-D. Despite the apparent similarities with the original series, the creators of TNG were adamant about creating a bold, independent vision of the future. The public did not widely accept the show on its own terms until the airing of "The Best of Both Worlds", which marked a shift towards higher drama, serious plot lines, and a less episodic nature. This helped pave the way for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and its two-year-long Dominion War arc and preceding build-up, as well as the third and fourth seasons of Star Trek: Enterprise. Star Trek: Voyager capitalized on the heightened crew relationships and familial bonds first seen on The Next Generation. DS9, on the other hand, balanced political intrigue, character development, and series-long plot threads with a rerun-friendly format.

As with the original Star Trek, TNG's special effects utilized miniatures, but due to great advancements in computerized effects and opticals, the show leaped ahead of its predecessor in terms of quality effects. This series marked the greatest surge in Star Trek's mainstream popularity, and paved the way for the later televised Trek shows.

Four of the Star Trek motion pictures continued the adventures of the TNG cast after the end of the series in 1994. Star Trek Generations served to "pass the torch" from The Original Series cast, who had been the subject of the first six motion pictures, by including crossover appearances from William Shatner, James Doohan, and Walter Koenig; it also featured the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D. Star Trek: First Contact, released two years later, was the first of the motion pictures to solely feature the TNG cast, transferred aboard the new USS Enterprise-E and engaging with one of their deadliest enemies from the television series, the Borg. Star Trek: Insurrection followed in 1998, continuing certain character arcs from the series. In 2002, Star Trek Nemesis brought some of these character arcs and plot threads to a seemingly definite conclusion, although some cast members expressed hope that future movies would yet pick up the story. Regardless, a new generation of actors appeared in 2009's Star Trek, which created an alternate reality and returned the films' focus to Kirk and Spock.

On television, characters from TNG appeared in subsequent series. Recurring TNG character Miles O'Brien became a series regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, as did Worf in DS9's fourth season. Jean-Luc Picard appeared in Deep Space Nine's pilot episode, and supporting characters from TNG appeared occasionally on DS9 (specifically, Keiko O'Brien, Lursa, B'Etor, Molly O'Brien, Vash, Q, Lwaxana Troi, Alynna Nechayev, Gowron, Thomas Riker, Toral, and Alexander Rozhenko). Reginald Barclay and Deanna Troi appeared several times each on Star Trek: Voyager, and Troi and William T. Riker appeared in the series finale of Star Trek: Enterprise, which was primarily a holographic simulation set during the TNG episode "The Pegasus". However, Star Trek Nemesis was the final chronological appearance of the Next Generation characters for over 18 years, until Star Trek: Picard, which focused on the later life of Jean-Luc Picard. Riker, Troi, Data, and Hugh also appeared in Picard.

In 1994, Star Trek: The Next Generation was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series. During its seven-year run, it was nominated for 58 Emmy Awards, mostly in "technical" categories such as visual effects and makeup; it won 18.

Main cast[]

Starring[]

Also starring[]

Episode list[]

Season 1[]

TNG Season 1, 25 episodes:

Title Episode Production number Stardate US release date
"Encounter at Farpoint" 1x01/02 40271-941 41153.7–41174.2 1987-09-28
"The Naked Now" 1x03 40271-103 41209.2–41209.3 1987-10-05
"Code of Honor" 1x04 40271-104 41235.25–41235.6 1987-10-12
"The Last Outpost" 1x05 40271-107 41386.4–41386.5 1987-10-19
"Where No One Has Gone Before" 1x06 40271-106 41263.1–41263.4 1987-10-26
"Lonely Among Us" 1x07 40271-108 41249.3–41249.4 1987-11-02
"Justice" 1x08 40271-109 41255.6–41255.9 1987-11-09
"The Battle" 1x09 40271-110 41723.9 1987-11-16
"Hide And Q" 1x10 40271-111 41590.5–41591.4 1987-11-23
"Haven" 1x11 40271-105 41294.5–41294.6 1987-11-30
"The Big Goodbye" 1x12 40271-113 41997.7 1988-01-11
"Datalore" 1x13 40271-114 41242.4–41242.5 1988-01-18
"Angel One" 1x14 40271-115 41636.9 1988-01-25
"11001001" 1x15 40271-116 41365.9 1988-02-01
"Too Short A Season" 1x16 40271-112 41309.5 1988-02-08
"When The Bough Breaks" 1x17 40271-118 41509.1–41512.9 1988-02-15
"Home Soil" 1x18 40271-117 41463.9–41464.8 1988-02-22
"Coming of Age" 1x19 40271-119 41416.2 1988-03-14
"Heart of Glory" 1x20 40271-120 41503.7 1988-03-21
"The Arsenal of Freedom" 1x21 40271-121 41798.2 1988-04-11
"Symbiosis" 1x22 40271-123 Unknown 1988-04-18
"Skin Of Evil" 1x23 40271-122 41601.3–41602.1 1988-04-25
"We'll Always Have Paris" 1x24 40271-124 41697.9 1988-05-02
"Conspiracy" 1x25 40271-125 41775.5–41780.2 1988-05-09
"The Neutral Zone" 1x26 40271-126 41986.0 1988-05-16

Season 2[]

TNG Season 2, 22 episodes:

Title Episode Production number Stardate US release date
"The Child" 2x01 40272-127 42073.1 1988-11-21
"Where Silence Has Lease" 2x02 40272-128 42193.6–42194.7 1988-11-28
"Elementary, Dear Data" 2x03 40272-129 42286.3 1988-12-05
"The Outrageous Okona" 2x04 40272-130 42402.7 1988-12-12
"Loud As A Whisper" 2x05 40272-132 42477.2–42479.3 1989-01-09
"The Schizoid Man" 2x06 40272-131 42437.5–42437.7 1989-01-23
"Unnatural Selection" 2x07 40272-133 42494.8 1989-01-30
"A Matter Of Honor" 2x08 40272-134 42506.5–42507.8 1989-02-06
"The Measure Of A Man" 2x09 40272-135 42523.7–42527.4 1989-02-13
"The Dauphin" 2x10 40272-136 42568.8 1989-02-20
"Contagion" 2x11 40272-137 42609.1 1989-03-20
"The Royale" 2x12 40272-138 42625.4 1989-03-27
"Time Squared" 2x13 40272-139 42679.2–42679.5 1989-04-03
"The Icarus Factor" 2x14 40272-140 42686.4 1989-04-24
"Pen Pals" 2x15 40272-141 42695.3–42741.3 1989-05-01
"Q Who" 2x16 40272-142 42761.3–42761.9 1989-05-08
"Samaritan Snare" 2x17 40272-143 42779.1–42779.5 1989-05-15
"Up The Long Ladder" 2x18 40272-144 42823.2–42827.3 1989-05-22
"Manhunt" 2x19 40272-145 42859.2 1989-06-19
"The Emissary" 2x20 40272-146 42901.3 1989-06-26
"Peak Performance" 2x21 40272-147 42923.4 1989-07-10
"Shades of Gray" 2x22 40272-148 42976.1–42976.3 1989-07-17

Season 3[]

TNG Season 3, 26 episodes:

Title Episode Production number Stardate US release date
"Evolution" 3x01 40273-150 43125.8 1989-09-25
"The Ensigns of Command" 3x02 40273-149 Unknown 1989-10-02
"The Survivors" 3x03 40273-151 43152.4–43153.7 1989-10-09
"Who Watches The Watchers" 3x04 40273-152 43173.5–43174.2 1989-10-16
"The Bonding" 3x05 40273-153 43198.7 1989-10-23
"Booby Trap" 3x06 40273-154 43205.6 1989-10-30
"The Enemy" 3x07 40273-155 43349.2 1989-11-06
"The Price" 3x08 40273-156 43385.6 1989-11-13
"The Vengeance Factor" 3x09 40273-157 43421.9 1989-11-20
"The Defector" 3x10 40273-158 43462.5–43465.2 1990-01-01
"The Hunted" 3x11 40273-159 43489.2 1990-01-08
"The High Ground" 3x12 40273-160 43510.7 1990-01-29
"Deja Q" 3x13 40273-161 43539.1 1990-02-05
"A Matter of Perspective" 3x14 40273-162 43610.4–43611.6 1990-02-12
"Yesterday's Enterprise" 3x15 40273-163 43625.2 1990-02-19
"The Offspring" 3x16 40273-164 43657.0 1990-03-12
"Sins of The Father" 3x17 40273-165 43685.2 1990-03-19
"Allegiance" 3x18 40273-166 43714.1 1990-03-26
"Captain's Holiday" 3x19 40273-167 43745.2 1990-04-02
"Tin Man" 3x20 40273-168 43779.3 1990-04-23
"Hollow Pursuits" 3x21 40273-169 43807.4–43808.2 1990-04-30
"The Most Toys" 3x22 40273-170 43872.2 1990-05-07
"Sarek" 3x23 40273-171 43917.4–43920.7 1990-05-14
"Ménage à Troi" 3x24 40273-172 43930.7 1990-05-28
"Transfigurations" 3x25 40273-173 43957.2–43960.6 1990-06-04
"The Best of Both Worlds" 3x26 40273-174 43989.1–43998.5 1990-06-18

Season 4[]

TNG Season 4, 26 episodes:

Title Episode Production number Stardate US release date
"The Best of Both Worlds, Part II" 4x01 40274-175 44001.4–44002.3 1990-09-24
"Family" 4x02 40274-178 44012.3 1990-10-01
"Brothers" 4x03 40274-177 44085.7–44091.1 1990-10-08
"Suddenly Human" 4x04 40274-176 44143.7 1990-10-15
"Remember Me" 4x05 40274-179 44161.2–44162.8 1990-10-22
"Legacy" 4x06 40274-180 44215.2–44225.3 1990-10-29
"Reunion" 4x07 40274-181 44246.3 1990-11-05
"Future Imperfect" 4x08 40274-182 44286.5 1990-11-12
"Final Mission" 4x09 40274-183 44307.3–44307.6 1990-11-19
"The Loss" 4x10 40274-184 44356.9–44359.5 1990-12-31
"Data's Day" 4x11 40274-185 44390.1 1991-01-07
"The Wounded" 4x12 40274-186 44429.6–44431.7 1991-01-28
"Devil's Due" 4x13 40274-187 44474.5 1991-02-04
"Clues" 4x14 40274-188 44502.7 1991-02-11
"First Contact" 4x15 40274-189 Unknown 1991-02-18
"Galaxy's Child" 4x16 40274-190 44614.6 1991-03-11
"Night Terrors" 4x17 40274-191 44631.2–44642.1 1991-03-18
"Identity Crisis" 4x18 40274-192 44664.5–44668.1 1991-03-25
"The Nth Degree" 4x19 40274-193 44704.2–44721.9 1991-04-01
"Qpid" 4x20 40274-194 44741.9 1991-04-22
"The Drumhead" 4x21 40274-195 44769.2–44780 1991-04-29
"Half a Life" 4x22 40274-196 44805.3–44812.6 1991-05-06
"The Host" 4x23 40274-197 44821.3–44824.4 1991-05-13
"The Mind's Eye" 4x24 40274-198 44885.5–44896.9 1991-05-27
"In Theory" 4x25 40274-199 44932.3–44935.6 1991-06-03
"Redemption" 4x26 40274-200 44995.3–44998.3 1991-06-17

Season 5[]

TNG Season 5, 26 episodes:

Title Episode Production number Stardate US release date
"Redemption II" 5x01 40275-201 45020.4–45025.4 1991-09-23
"Darmok" 5x02 40275-202 45047.2–45048.8 1991-09-30
"Ensign Ro" 5x03 40275-203 45076.3–45077.8 1991-10-07
"Silicon Avatar" 5x04 40275-204 45122.3–45129.2 1991-10-14
"Disaster" 5x05 40275-205 45156.1 1991-10-21
"The Game" 5x06 40275-206 45208.2–45212.1 1991-10-28
"Unification I" 5x07 40275-208 45233.1–45240.6 1991-11-04
"Unification II" 5x08 40275-207 45245.8 1991-11-11
"A Matter Of Time" 5x09 40275-209 45349.1–45351.9 1991-11-18
"New Ground" 5x10 40275-210 45376.3–45376.8 1992-01-06
"Hero Worship" 5x11 40275-211 45397.3 1992-01-27
"Violations" 5x12 40275-212 45429.3–45435.8 1992-02-03
"The Masterpiece Society" 5x13 40275-213 45470.1 1992-02-10
"Conundrum" 5x14 40275-214 45494.2 1992-02-17
"Power Play" 5x15 40275-215 45571.2–45572.1 1992-02-24
"Ethics" 5x16 40275-216 45587.3 1992-03-02
"The Outcast" 5x17 40275-217 45614.6–45620.4 1992-03-16
"Cause And Effect" 5x18 40275-218 45652.1 1992-03-23
"The First Duty" 5x19 40275-219 45703.9 1992-03-30
"Cost Of Living" 5x20 40275-220 45733.6 1992-04-20
"The Perfect Mate" 5x21 40275-221 45761.3–45766.1 1992-04-27
"Imaginary Friend" 5x22 40275-222 45852.1 1992-05-04
"I Borg" 5x23 40275-223 45854.2 1992-05-11
"The Next Phase" 5x24 40275-224 45892.4 1992-05-18
"The Inner Light" 5x25 40275-225 45944.1 1992-06-01
"Time's Arrow" 5x26 40275-226 45959.1–45965.3 1992-06-15

Season 6[]

TNG Season 6, 26 episodes:

Title Episode Production number Stardate US release date
"Time's Arrow, Part II" 6x01 40276-227 46001.3 1992-09-21
"Realm Of Fear" 6x02 40276-228 46041.1–46043.6 1992-09-28
"Man Of The People" 6x03 40276-229 46071.6–46075.1 1992-10-05
"Relics" 6x04 40276-230 46125.3 1992-10-12
"Schisms" 6x05 40276-231 46154.2–46191.2 1992-10-19
"True Q" 6x06 40276-232 46192.3–46193.8 1992-10-26
"Rascals" 6x07 40276-233 46235.7–46236.3 1992-11-02
"A Fistful of Datas" 6x08 40276-234 46271.5–46278.3 1992-11-07
"The Quality of Life" 6x09 40276-235 46307.2–46317.8 1992-11-14
"Chain Of Command, Part I" 6x10 40276-236 46357.4 1992-12-14
"Chain Of Command, Part II" 6x11 40276-237 46360.8 1992-12-21
"Ship In A Bottle" 6x12 40276-238 46424.1 1993-01-25
"Aquiel" 6x13 40276-239 46461.3 1993-02-01
"Face Of The Enemy" 6x14 40276-240 46519.1 1993-02-08
"Tapestry" 6x15 40276-241 Unknown 1993-02-15
"Birthright, Part I" 6x16 40276-242 46578.4 1993-02-22
"Birthright, Part II" 6x17 40276-243 46579.2 1993-03-01
"Starship Mine" 6x18 40276-244 46682.4 1993-03-29
"Lessons" 6x19 40276-245 46693.1–46697.2 1993-04-05
"The Chase" 6x20 40276-246 46731.5–46735.2 1993-04-26
"Frame of Mind" 6x21 40276-247 46778.1 1993-05-03
"Suspicions" 6x22 40276-248 46830.1–46831.2 1993-05-10
"Rightful Heir" 6x23 40276-249 46852.2 1993-05-17
"Second Chances" 6x24 40276-250 46915.2–46920.1 1993-05-24
"Timescape" 6x25 40276-251 46944.2–46945.3 1993-06-14
"Descent" 6x26 40276-252 46982.1–46984.6 1993-06-21

Season 7[]

TNG Season 7, 25 episodes:

Title Episode Production number Stardate US release date
"Descent, Part II" 7x01 40277-253 47025.4 1993-09-20
"Liaisons" 7x02 40277-254 Unknown 1993-09-27
"Interface" 7x03 40277-255 47215.5 1993-10-04
"Gambit, Part I" 7x04 40277-256 47135.2 1993-10-11
"Gambit, Part II" 7x05 40277-257 47160.1–47169.2 1993-10-18
"Phantasms" 7x06 40277-258 47225.7 1993-10-25
"Dark Page" 7x07 40277-259 47254.1 1993-11-01
"Attached" 7x08 40277-260 47304.2 1993-11-08
"Force of Nature" 7x09 40277-261 47310.2–47314.5 1993-11-15
"Inheritance" 7x10 40277-262 47410.2 1993-11-22
"Parallels" 7x11 40277-263 47391.2 1993-11-29
"The Pegasus" 7x12 40277-264 47457.1 1994-01-10
"Homeward" 7x13 40277-265 47423.9–47427.2 1994-01-17
"Sub Rosa" 7x14 40277-266 Unknown 1994-01-31
"Lower Decks" 7x15 40277-267 47566.7 1994-02-07
"Thine Own Self" 7x16 40277-268 47611.2 1994-02-14
"Masks" 7x17 40277-269 47615.2–47618.4 1994-02-21
"Eye of the Beholder" 7x18 40277-270 47623.2 1994-02-28
"Genesis" 7x19 40277-271 47653.2 1994-03-21
"Journey's End" 7x20 40277-272 47751.2–47755.3 1994-03-28
"Firstborn" 7x21 40277-273 47779.4 1994-04-25
"Bloodlines" 7x22 40277-274 47829.1–47831.8 1994-05-02
"Emergence" 7x23 40277-275 47869.2 1994-05-09
"Preemptive Strike" 7x24 40277-276 47941.7–47943.2 1994-05-16
"All Good Things..." 7x25/26 40277-747 47988 1994-05-23

Behind the scenes[]

Star Trek: The Next Generation was originally pitched to the then-fledgling Fox Network. However, they couldn't guarantee an initial order greater than thirteen episodes, not enough to make the enormous start-up costs of the series worth the expense. It was then decided to sell the series to the first-run syndication market. The show's syndicated launch was overseen by Paramount Television president Mel Harris, a pioneer in the syndicated television market. Many of the stations that carried The Next Generation had also run The Original Series for a long time.

According to issues of Star Trek: The Official Fan Club Magazine from early 1987, TNG was originally planned to be set in the 25th century, 150 years after the original series, and the Enterprise would have been the Enterprise NCC-1701-G. Gene Roddenberry ultimately changed the timeline to mid-24th century, set on board the Enterprise NCC-1701-D, as an Enterprise-G would have been the eighth starship to bear the name and that was too many for the relatively short time period that was to have passed.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was billed initially as being set 78 years after the days of the original USS Enterprise. [1] (p. 16) However, after the series' first season was established as being set in the year 2364, this reference became obsolete as dates were then able to be set for the original series and the four previous films. When this happened, it was established that the events of the original series were about a hundred years before the events of TNG. With TNG's first season being set in 2364, 78 years prior would have been 2286. Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home partly takes place during this year along with the shakedown cruise of the USS Enterprise-A.

On the special The Star Trek Saga: From One Generation To The Next, Gene Roddenberry commented, "On the original Star Trek, I practically lost my family from working so many twelve-hour days, fourteen-hour days, seven days a week, and I told them, 'You can't pay me enough to do that.' But then they said, 'Hey, but suppose we do it in a way in which' they call syndication, 'in which we don't have a network and we don't have all those people up there?' And Paramount was saying to me, 'And we guarantee that you will be in charge of the show.'"

Andrew Probert was first hired by Roddenberry in 1978. However, not until 1986, when Roddenberry was preparing to launch a new show, entitled Star Trek: The Next Generation, did he call upon Probert to take a lead design role. Everything had to be rethought, imagined, planned and redesigned. As the vision evolved in the designers' minds, the evolution was charted in successive sketches and paintings.

Among Probert's creations, in addition to the new Enterprise starship and many of its interiors including the main bridge, are many other featured spacecraft. The Ferengi cruiser, and even the Ferengi species, are Probert designs.

Roddenberry originally insisted on doing a one-hour pilot and assigned D.C. Fontana to write the episode, first titled Meeting at Farpoint. However, the studio was keen on having a two-hour pilot, mainly because they wanted something big and spectacular to launch the series, especially considering first-run syndication. Roddenberry himself volunteered to extend Fontana's script to two hours, eventually adding the Q storyline to it.

Ronald D. Moore commented, "Gene did not want conflict between the regular characters on TNG. This began to hamstring the series and led to many, many problems. To put it bluntly, this wasn't a very good idea. But rather than jettison it completely, we tried to remain true to the spirit of a better future where the conflicts between our characters did not show them to be petty or selfish or simply an extension of 20th century mores." (AOL chat, 1997) Rick Berman explained, "The problem with Star Trek: The Next Generation is Gene created a group of characters that he purposely chose not to allow conflict between. Starfleet officers cannot be in conflict, thus its murderous to write these shows because there is no good drama without conflict, and the conflict has to come from outside the group." (Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, p. 8)

Roddenberry tried to recruit many production staff members from The Original Series to work on the new series. These included producers Robert H. Justman and Edward K. Milkis, writers D.C. Fontana and David Gerrold (who served as the main creative force behind the formation of the series), costume designer William Ware Theiss, assistant director Charles Washburn, composer Fred Steiner, set decorator John M. Dwyer, and writer John D.F. Black. Roddenberry also tried to bring back cinematographer Jerry Finnerman, but he declined the offer, being busy working on Moonlighting at the time. However, all of the above people finished working on the series after or during the first season.

Unit Production Manager David Livingston was responsible for hiring Michael Westmore for the pilot episode. (ENT Season 3 Blu-ray, "Impulse" audio commentary)

Remastering[]

See the main article.

After several months of speculation and partial confirmation, StarTrek.com announced on 28 September 2011 (the 24th anniversary of the series premiere) that The Next Generation would be remastered in 1080p high-definition for release on Blu-ray Disc and eventual syndication, starting in 2012. The seventh and final season was released on Blu-ray in December 2014.

Cast and crew[]

The following people worked on The Next Generation; it is unknown during which season or on which episodes.

Performers[]

Stunt performers[]

Production staff[]

Companies[]

Related topics[]

Media[]

External links[]

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