Star Trek: The Next Generation
(a.k.a ST:TNG)

This television show was the third in the Star Trek franchise. While the second series was a cartoon adaptation of the original Star Wars show, and the movies had thus-far been grander visions derived from the original series, many elements of Star Trek: The Next Generation were fresh and new. This is not to say that the series was completely original... many characters are derived from characters in the original series, many stories are blatant rip-offs, and the general feel of the show is very much the same.

This series was created and produced by Gene Roddenberry, the original mind behind Star Trek. However, this series brought in a lot of additional players who polished the series. The immensely larger budget -- two million dollars per episode -- made Star Trek: The Next Generation the most expensive TV show ever created to date.

Star Trek: The Next Generation was predominantly a revival of the original series. I say this to point out that the series was not attempting to distinguish itself from other Star Trek franchises, as later Star Trek endeavors did. Nonetheless, Star Trek: The Next Generation saw several notable changes. The Starship Enterprise (NCC-1701D, the fifth with the name) is now a luxurious starship. It is manned with over 1000 crew, including entire families. The ship is a lot like a large city, including barbers, schools, and holographic recreational facilities. The show has more primary characters, and the plot does not revolve as tightly around the same characters. There is a greater sense of unity aboard the ship, and the crew are more diplomatic than the crew in the original series.

Characters

The Next Generation had a very reserved, very dignified French Captain named Jean-Luc Picard. He is a diplomat and a leader, and detached from the crew. The first officer is William Riker. Riker is a friendly, but fierce leader who handles most crew issues, and leads most away missions. I regard him as argumentative and short-tempered. Data is an android, re-interpretting the emotionless and logical role of science officer pioneered by Mr. Spock in the original series. Geordi LaForge is the engineer, a blind black man with prosthetic vision. Beverly Crusher is an attractive vaguely-feminist matriarchical figure. She is the ship's doctor. Deanna Troy is an alien with empathic powers, playing the ship's counsellor. Worf is a restrained Klingon raised by humans. He is the chief of security (for most of the series, following the removal of another short-lived character). Wesley Crusher, the young genius son of Beverly Crusher plays helmsman through much of the series.

Less prevalent characters include the mysterious and long-lived Guinan -- from a race of "listeners" --, Transporter Chief O'Brien, an NCO Irishman, the short-lived Tasha Yar, temporary doctor Polaski, and various recurring plot characters.

Location

The starship enterprise was constructed with the mission: "To seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before." (note the gender change in mission from the original series). It is a large spaceship. this series takes place all over the ship, with a huge variety of sets. The starship travels from planet to planet, exposing us to a variety of environments with a variety of people.

Critique

This show was anything but original. Nonetheless, what was done was done well. Where the original series was crude and improbable, a team of consultants ensured that this series would not be. The varied characters provided this show with a great deal of longevity. Various character changes throughout the show -- the elimination of Tasha Yar, the removal of wesley Crusher, and the maturing of Deanna Troy -- slowly shifted the show from good to excellent. After seven years, the show had plenty of life left for motion pictures.

I was never ashamed to be a fan of this show, although I had misgivings about many of the plots and several of the characters. Specifically, I found Worf to be a weak character, and Deanna Troy to be useless. The much maligned Wesley Crusher was also a point of annoyance until his removal.

As an added annoyance, I was frequently stunned by the hypocritical "non-judgmental" factor that plagued this show. It was often obvious that many different people with different opinions and attitudes were working on the same thing. I often cringed at the extended self-righteous monologues that went on in this show, followed or succeeded by extended soliloquies on accepting different cultures and cooperating despite personal differences.

In spite of these gripes, many stories were excellent, the special effects were fantastic, and I generally sided with the appropriate characters -- even ones I disliked -- in their role for a specific story