OtherWorld Science Fiction TV: Star Trek: The Next Generation

VHS

Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994):
IMDB Listing

Gene Roddenberry

Patrick Stewart
Jonathan Frakes
Brent Spiner
LeVar Burton
Denise Crosby
Michael Dorn
Gates McFadden
Marina Sirtis
Wil Wheaton
Colm Meaney

... Creator

... Jean-Luc Picard
... William T. Riker
... Data
... Geordi LaForge
... Tasha Yar
... Worf
... Dr. Beverly Crusher
... Deanna Troi
... Wesley Crusher
... Miles O'Brien

Thanks to the continued life of original Star Trek series in syndication and spinoff movies, Star Trek: The Next Generation was created. A younger cast was needed to continue to the "Franchise." It was also updated to be more politically correct than the original. The first couple of seasons were full of uneven episodes as the writers were developing characters. During the third season the show hit its stride and didn't begin to tire until the sixth season. The holodeck became a writing device to give the characters a chance to playact and do period episodes.

The success of Star Trek: The Next Generation in first-run syndication paved the way for an explosion of science fiction on television in the 1990's. The series started to paint itself into a corner by being too politically correct and avoiding controversy. By the end of the series the "Star Trek" universe had also become so defined that the storytelling became stagnant. This series has resulted in three consecutive spin-offs: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and Enterprise.

The cast has moved on to theatrical films, which have so far been mostly disappointing, but the series lives on in syndication. Repeat viewings of old Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes are generally more entertaining than new viewings of early episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and any Star Trek: Voyager episodes.