Star Trek
Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation was a television show that aired from 1987 to 1994 and was part of the Star Trek franchise. It was set in the 24th century and followed the adventures of the USS Enterprise, a Starfleet starship, as it explored the Alpha quadrant of the Milky Way galaxy. The show featured a new cast, including Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and was set a century after the events of the original Star Trek series. The Next Generation was executive produced by Gene Roddenberry, Maurice Hurley, Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor, and was broadcast in syndication. The show was very popular and led to the creation of additional series in the franchise, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and the return of The Next Generation characters in several films and the television show Star Trek: Picard. The series received numerous awards, including 19 Emmy Awards, two Hugo Awards, five Saturn Awards, and a Peabody Award.
Star Trek: The Next Generation explored many complex themes and ideas over its seven seasons. Some of the most notable themes include:
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The nature of humanity: Many episodes dealt with the question of what it means to be human and what qualities define us as a species. This often involved exploring the humanity of the android officer Data, and his quest to understand and become more human.
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The role of the individual in a collective society: The Next Generation is set in the 24th century in the United Federation of Planets, a utopia where poverty, disease, and war have been eliminated. However, this collective society raises questions about the importance of individuality, personal freedom and the cost of a utopia.
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Consequences of technological advancement: The show often dealt with the consequences of the latest technological advancements and the ethical and moral implications of their use.
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Conflict resolution: Many of the Next Generation episode featured conflicts between the crew and different alien species and how these conflicts were resolved through diplomacy and understanding.
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Social issues: The show dealt with many real-world social issues such as racism, prejudice, gender equality, sexual harassment and environmentalism.
The Next Generation also had its own specific story arc that evolved over the seasons, such as the mystery of Data's creator, the war with the Romulans, and the rise of the Borg as the main antagonist. With its strong characters, intricate plots, and focus on humanity's future, Star Trek: The Next Generation became one of the most beloved shows in the Star Trek franchise and has stood the test of time as one of the most iconic science fiction series of all time.
illustrations by DALL-E
illustrations by DALL-E
Star Trek Next Generation
In the 1970s, Paramount Pictures considered making a Star Trek film, but changed its plans in response to the release of Star Wars. The studio instead worked on a new Star Trek TV series, but changed its mind again in favor of creating feature films with the Original Series cast. By 1986, the franchise had been successful for 20 years and Paramount executives saw it as a valuable asset. Due to salary demands of the actors in the fourth film, Paramount decided to create a new TV series instead. The creator of Star Trek, Roddenberry, joined the project after initial work on the series was done. The new series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, was announced in 1986 and the cast was revealed in 1987.
Paramount executive Rick Berman was put in charge of the new Star Trek series at the request of Roddenberry. Roddenberry also hired several people who had worked on the original series, including writers and producers. The early ideas for the series included the possibility of appearances from original cast members, but Roddenberry later decided that the series would not involve a spaceship and would not have the same kind of conflict as the original series. Patrick Stewart, who acted in the series, said that Berman was more open to the series addressing political issues than Roddenberry was.
The new series combined the music theme from the original series theme with a theme from a Star Trek film. Some of the episodes' plots were based on ideas originally developed for a planned earlier series, and some sets used in previous films were reused in the new series. Some sets of the new series were also later used in other Star Trek films.
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