The Very Turbulent History of Star Trek: The Next Generation

"Best of Both Worlds" (pts 1&2) is rated the third highest-rated sci-fi "episode" of all time. ST: TNG at one point had better ratings than Monday Night Football.

It is ironic that the show did better (S3) after Gene Roddenberry left as showrunner.

Lost in Space was plagiarized from the classic Star Trek.
Deep Space Nine was plagiarized off Babylon 5. Joe Michael Stracynzski presented his script for Babylon 5 to Paramount, who rejected it. Shortly later, they released Deep Space Nine.

Conversational Klingon does not use the Pimsleur method. They just teach the phrases once, with no repetition. I learned nothing. :(

My dirty laundry with ROTC mirrored Wesley Crusher’s skeletons in the closet with Starfleet Academy. Wesley Crusher attended Starfleet Academy when I was training in Air Force ROTC. At one point, Wesley was scandalized by his involvement with the Nova Squad training accident. Shortly later, I got disciplined in ROTC for a sexual harassment charge. Then later, Wesley disobeyed Captain Picard and left the academy. (I had a bad feeling when I saw that) Shortly later, I played a rebellious prank on my university that got me disenrolled from ROTC.

In my 1993 Mechanical Engineering class, Engineering Science Lab, we were put in groups. Each group could make its own ground rules. My group got so fed up with my talking about Star Trek all the time that they made the rule,
“No talking about Star Trek before, during, or after meetings”

In May 1994, I saw my college friend Stephanie on the way to class and said,
“Oh nooooooooo! The most horrible fate that could ever besiege mankind!”
She bust out laughing.

Thanks for reading the script like you’re just reading off of Wikipedia..

I had the Enterprise-D crew galoob figures plus the type 1 phaser and diecast Enterprise-D. Back then, all of the convention scalpers took all of the alien figures. So I never found those until I bought them on eBay years ago. For about the same price, they cost in the stores back in 88. I later collected the 1990s playmates next generation toys.

a lot of time has been offered to discussion of star trek fans being cheesed off that the next generation wasn't going to have KSB (kirk spock bones), but i was at the dead center of the demographic they were actually trying to land when tng premiered and my recollection was of me and everyone like me being really excited for the new show.

tng wasn't made for people who were 12 in 1966. it was made for people who were 12 in 1987. call gene roddenberry whatever you want, at least he wasn't the type to fix what wasn't broken.

Lots of people farted while they watched this.

Oh wow, you used the promo from my local Fox affiliate, WXIN 59. It's been so long that I watched actual broadcast television for something other than sports, that really takes me back!

Still my favorite television series of all time. I was very happy when the remastered BluRay collection got released.

the 90s was a golden age for science fiction tv.

Notice that they didn't bother calling Harlan when they were getting the band back together for TNG. LOL yeah, I don't think I've ever heard anyone say anything nice about having Harlan Ellison on a team.

I'm 37, I was turned on to Star Trek TNG through watching a handful of episodes when they were first brought to Netflix, well, a few season watchings later the Blu-rays are in my hands and I've watched and continue to re-watch this show even now (been watching for past 4 years). I don't know if I initially would have really got hooked on the show if it wasn't for the remaster which greatly changes the style/feel of the show for me. I think if Deep Space Nine was remastered I'd probably be more ready to just go ahead and watch it.

If you're wondering why I basically don't watch anything else, well it's because I think most things made now are total garbage. The only other show that's more recent that I've enjoyed enough to re-watch would be Fringe.

I love this show and also Jerry Goldsmith’s theme, that’s Star Trek!

Did you just watch Rowan Coleman’s retrospective and make a “for Dummies” version?

Pulaski sucked... Lol

I don't have any touching story, I was up late one night, and I discovered TNG. I got hooked, and that was it.

The best of both worlds wasn't the first cliffhanger, the Menagerie was in 1966.

Too many ads.. Bye...

it hurts me deeply that it's now been more than 30 years since TNG ended... Why can't we get a meaningful progression of that era? Deep space 9 took it a few years forward and Voyager did NOTHING for the time line. The diplomacy and stories were so interesting and begged to be fleshed out, but they refuse to do it...

Star Trek: The Next Generation was turned down to all 4 networks - NBC, ABC, CBS and Fox, but instead airing it to syndicated broadcast television as part of the 1st-run syndie. It was originally aired syndicated for 7 seasons/years from September 28, 1987, to May 23, 1994, and continued to be syndicated in repeats on many local stations when they stopped carrying the show up until by around 2013. As of the late 2010s, Star Trek: The Next Generation is syndicated to air in the United States on the cable network BBC America and the broadcast channel network Heroes & Icons. It was previously aired on the Sci-Fi Channel (now SyFy).

I had that exact reaction to the news. When I found out Kirk and Spock and the gang weren't part of the new show, I decided this was NOT "Star Trek". Who ARE all these new people I've never heard of? I DID, however, watch the pilot, and thought it was O.K., nothing special, but O.K. (except for Troi's "great joy...and pleasure" (or whatever) line. I ALSO thought at first that Q was gay (I'm not saying that as a judgement. His mannerisms just seemed too "flamboyant", and the way he leans in at one point to whisper in Picard's ear at the end, made me think he was about to kiss him). The initial few episodes just didn't do it, and then there was "Code of Honor" (or whatever the name is), with the racist planet, that I was shocked even made it to script stage. What idiot thought this could actually go on screen? THAT almost killed it for me.

But I stuck it out, and it got better. Except for Pulaski in Season 2, whom I absolutely HATED (with her condescending and offensive attitude towards Data - calling him "it" and such. I was GLAD to see her gone and Crusher back). By the time Season 3 is underway, it's among the finest "Trek" ever produced. Anyone who doesn't think of "The Best Of Both Worlds", "Sarek", Worf's discommendation ("Tell your children what happened here"), Lal's episode......(you can include DS9's "Duet" in here as a special mention) as sheer magnificence, then, you are not moved by ANYTHING. Sarek's meld with Picard, Lal's finale and "duet" 's Maretza's going from seeming Cardassian butcher, breaking down to a good man wracked and burdened with a memory of a horror he witnessed and was powerless to stop, still bring tears to my eyes).

P.S. Riker is WAY better with the beard.

MR. T CEREAL!!!!!!

"...I pity da foo that don't buy my cereal!!!!!!".

Late 80's/early 90's TV will always be synonymous with TNG & mst3k to fill the sci-fi void.

I definately count Saturday morning cartoons!

TNG was great from the beginning. I don't care who's responsible.

Not sure I understand taking a third of your video up talking about things pre series

We really need a companion Star Trek Voyager Episode of Secret Galaxy to wrap up the 90s trek.

When it aired in my hometown of Toronto, I saw the last episode of The Next Generation on the big screen of our baseball stadium (then called the Skydome) with thousands of other fans.

So many memories, Star Trek was kind of background noise for me most of the time, something I watched if I caught it on while channel surfing (this being the mid-90's, that happened a fair bit!). My cousin was absolutely crazy about it, though, he had the uniform and all the toys

i got into star trek during the animated series

What i unconditionally love about that show is how each episode was a different story almost, so the writers were more or at least equally important than the egos of the actors. That doesnt happen anymore aparently.

I've liked Star Trek probably my whole life, but TNG was MY Star Trek. Other chunks javelin been good, or maybe not, and I'll be the first to admit that I wasn't always a fan of everything Next Gen, but it's still overall my favorite Trek.

Great video. Thanks

For the 3rd season cliffhanger, I HOVERED over the damn tv for 3 weeks before I realized it was the season finale.

Your videos are great! Set phasers to,..fun!?!?!?!?

This is one of my favorite videos you guys have made. Thank you.

The first hurdle they had to clear was that name. Calling your follow-up series "The Next Generation" is like naming your second child "Little Brother". It immediately invites comparison, and with a celebrated "Big Sister" like TOS, you're already starting out on your back foot.

(I almost wrote 'Big Brother' in reference to TOS, but I thought this was funnier/unexpected/subversive. 😂)

I don't remember what I did to deserve it, but the week TNG was to premiere I got in trouble with my parents in one of less than five such incidents in my entire childhood. I wasn't an outdoorsy kid (11yo), so I was grounded in a way that hit home. I wasn't allowed to watch TV for two weeks, which included Star Trek: the Next Generation's inaugural episodes. I was upset, but I didn't cheat. I did have a little black and white TV in my room, but I was a good kid who generally followed the rules, and it remained silent as instructed. (I'm pretty sure I wanted to see it in color first anyway.)

In retrospect, I guess I dodged a bullet by avoiding Encounter at Farpoint.

... I thought you were joking about the merch ... or maybe I don't know your sarcasm well enough.

You can walk into any Walmart, any dollar store, any retail, really and find Star Wars merch. Cups. Bedding. Toys. Books. Dinnerware. Waffle makers ... but what you cannot find is Star Trek merch.

I don't consider the animated series a separate series, because it's literally the original series animated. All the actors are the same. And it takes place on the same ship.

Nobody cares who all the original series characters are in a video that supposed to be about the next generation.

Almost halfway into a video that reports to be about the next generation and yet very little mention of the next generation so far. Not finishing because I feel like this video is false advertising and just click bait.