The Very Turbulent History of Star Trek: The Next Generation 

I was intentionally late to work the night of the season three finale. I just couldn’t miss it and didn’t have a way to record it at the time. To this day it is still one of the best cliffhangers in television history.

Interesting fact. Gates McFaddens real first name is Cheryl. And uses that for her stage work. Which includes choreographing the ballroom scene in Labyrinth among other Jim Henson projects

I remember reading George Takei's biography. And he had the same fears when he first heard about Star Trek the Next Generation. But he was catching a flight somewhere and Patrick Stewart happened to be on the flight and they had a very good conversation about Next Generation. And George Takei said that he felt comfortable that Patrick Stewart wasn't going to be a Captain Kirk clone.

I loved how Data, in his quest to become more "human", became a mirror that reflected our humanity back at us, contradiction and all.

One of the things that I loved about TNG was how they shifted around crew roles. Instead of the cowboy captain that Kirk was, Picard was a statesman and diplomat, but still able to get his hands dirty when needed. Meanwhile he had Riker being the adventurer and lady killer, so that role wasn't lost. Data filled in wonderfully for Spock, giving another emotionless character who helped explore the human condition. And his android nature opened up even more possibilities. The episode where they had to fight in court for his independence as a person was epic. Geordi was a great character, and his friendship with Data made the pair wonderful to watch. And it was great seeing a blind character being treated as someone independent, and not a liability. Crusher, Worf, Troi, Yar... all brought so much life to the show. Gave everyone someone that they could relate to and admire.

in the 60s my dad grew up watching star trek original series. in the 80s i grew up watching star trek TNG and we watched it together. today in the age of smartphones and memes, we are always sharing those silly star trek memes with each other 😊

Fun fact: Michael Bell played “Zorn” in the pilot episode. He was also the voice of Duke on GI Joe, along with many other characters in various animated shows.

I was watching TOS in reruns as a kid and was 14 when TNG hit. I wasn't a huge Trek fan (similarly a huge Star Wars fan) but MAN did TNG blow me away. There was a great year when we could watch A-Team, B:SG reruns and then TNG in one night.

In '87, Honey Nut Cheerios offered a free _TNG_ poster w/proof of purchase (something like 6-8 boxes). To this day, I can't watch _TNG_ without the phantom taste of Honey Nut Cheerios.

Happy belated 101st birthday, Gene Roddenberry.

Star Trek TNG was the show my Dad and I bonded over while I grew up! Great episode! I love the James / SORTED clip “Where’s the dish?!”

The "Fire!" cliffhanger was so brilliant but, at the time, so painful. Riker had the angel and the devil sitting on his shoulders, each telling him to do something different, and he tried to do what he knew was right - his duty of ending the Borg's threat - though he hated doing it. The build up to it was wonderfully acted and written and the music in that moment had you holding your breath.

I remember Denise Crosby telling people at a convention that she enjoys her scripts after she character passed away. Including when she was Celia Yar and past versions of herself

This mandatory TV time with my dad. He hooked me on the TOS at a young age, and this cemented that love of Star Trek.

Next month would be Star Trek TNG's 35th anniversary. I watched it religiously with my grandparents on WPIX-TV. What got me hooked on the show was when The Borg confronted Picard. He was transformed and into the Borg leader in that episode. Resistance is futile!

6:37 - that must be why Paramount kept the home video versions of Star Trek priced out of the reach of so many of its fans for so many years...

I remember watching this daily as a kid with my parents.

I remember that exact commercial for TNG in the summer/September of 1987. I was so hyped by the new ship, I was willing to forgive them for having a new cast of characters with new uniforms. It was a very exciting time. And TNG remains my favorite to this day.

Growing up in the 80's and 90's I was a total Star Wars fan. Never gave Star Trek a chance. I had Star Wars and that was enough SciFi for me. Wasn't until 2000's I finally decided to give Star Trek TNG a chance. I loved it and now have become obsessed with TNG. Wish I had payed attention to it back in the day.

in the summer of 1990, i became a "trekker" when i tried to draw the enterprise-d from my 6th grade tng lunchbox. the pic was too small to get good detail so i watched a few eps to fill them in. hooked ever since

had almost all the TNG toys, twice over including the micro machines, and ds9 so good!

Back in '88, I got caught in the middle of an argument over whether TOS was better than TNG or the other way around. Personally, I like both and I don't really feel that one is superior to the other. But I can understand the cases made in both directions.

I was a huge ST fan when Kirk and Spock were making movies. But, when the new show was released, it wasn't brought into my cable provider, so I missed out on the first several years. How I loved going to my Dads and Grandmas in order to sit by myself and watch TNG.

but is (ding!) it (ding!) phaser canon? (ding!) (star wars noise)

If you like Star Trek: TNG, watch Seth MacFarlane's (Yes, the "Family Guy" guy) The Orville, which is basically a slightly more comedic, but just as good modern take. It's on Hulu and Disney+! If enough people watch it, we'll get another season!!

Fun fact: The BBC banned the episode "Conspiracy" from airing for many years. It's also a pretty great episode.

It's a bit ironic that for the pilot Encounter at Farpoint the best part, Q, was written by Roddenberry, a notoriously bad writer while the meat of the episode, everything not Q, was written by D. C. Fontana, an excellent and well respected writer.

More things change, more they stay same. Even back then Trekkies were upset about new crew and casting choices for TNG.

i remember when you could mail in memorabilia to be signed, i'd sent 2 different dr crusher cards from the 25th anniversary set. gates signed the one from her 3rd season portrait, but got a note stating that she "doesn't sign" the card of her season 1 portrait. probably because of maurice hurley?

Thanks for doing a Star Trek:TNG look back. It saved my life as a kid. This was a great video!

But you forgot the most important crossover of all: a behind the scenes clip of TNG appeared on the Reading Rainbow, with Lavar Burton as host. :D

I'd say one of my favorite Family Guy gags was when Stewie kidnapped the available Star Trek TNG crew, and they all behaved like annoying children on a road trip. And I'd say that lead Patrick Stewart to his best role to date, Deputy Director Bullock on American Dad. I've always loved when the Star Trek actors got to branch out to other things where they got to be wacky. Michael Dorn as I. M. Weasel for example, and of course when someone decided "Q" should be a mythical monster sent to torture a bunch of ponies, and one time a couple of beaver brothers. And the nostalgia wave of Reading Rainbow as well. Loved the episode where they actually went behind the scenes of TNG.

If you want a truly comprehensive deep dive into Star Trek (TNG included) I can't recommend Rowan J Coleman's retrospective enough.

Fantastic episode, guys! While TNG is my favorite Trek series, my biggest takeaway here was that Lucille Ball & Desi Arnaz produced TOS...I had no idea!

An excellent and intriguing documentary of the STTNG series, thank you. Also, I want to add that I was introduced to STTNG by a Nun (or Sister) from the IWA convent. Anyways, I know- how? Well, I used to make fun of all Trekkies in my teenage nerdy years, because I was a Star Wars Jedi, Hans Solo, Bobba Fett, Darth Vader, and Yoda fan... One day, many moons ago, Sister Yirma challenged me to watch her VHS taped or recorded Star Trek The Next Generation episodes... I took the challenge, and well- I enjoyed and loved STTNG series. I immediately liked LTCMDR Data and CMDR Riker... Anyhow, time has passed, I became a Trekkie and Star Wars fan. Yet, I probably lean more towards Star Trek sci-fi than Star Wars... With this in mind, Sister Yirma, wherever you are- thank you, and to all- Live Long, and Prosper 😎😁🙌🤜🤛🤟🖖💪

I had to eat a lot of Honeynut Cheerios to send away for that Enterprise poster.

Interesting, I didn't know about Roddenberry's involvement in the 1st season of TNG. I ways wondered why it was lackluster, and I wonder if he stifled the creativity of the writing staff and actors with his litigious antagonism with Paramount. I also did not know why Crusher was replaced with Dr. Pulaski who by 24th century standards seemed very closed minded and was somewhat obnoxious toward Data. The series really took off with season 3 IMO with the return of Crusher, new uniforms, and better writing.

I can't express how much of an impact TNG had on me. It was released one month before I was born, and I grew up watching it with my dad, who himself grew up watching TOS. The shows themes of science, philosophy and optimistic outlook have shaped who I am today. I have fond memories of it and continue to watch to this day.

It just struck me when Dan saluted: There is no Federation salute in Next Gen and onward. They nod in acknowledgement of an order.

TNG was the pinnacle of the franchise but DS9 was my favorite because of the multitude of awesome characters...that was a really good stretch of really good Trek tv.

Love The Next Generation and ty for the content. Was wondering if you had ever considered doing a video about the rise and fall of Kids’ WB? I think that could be a really good topic and would love to see what you thought about it. It’s my favorite lineup ever and I loved it ever since it began back in 1995. Also maybe a video about the rise and fall of Smallville considering how popular Superman has been? Smallville had kind of a similar path to tv with Fox and the WB in a bidding war for it but Fox would only commit to 13 episodes. Ty again and please keep up the awesome work!

One of my fondest memories of ST TNG, when Enterprise D exploded and the saucer crashed, ensuring that THAT ship would cease to exist. Don't take me wrong, the show had great stories and characters, but always hated that ship design. 😹

Picard may well be the superior commanding officer and Captain, but Sisko is and was the best wartime ships commander amongst them. (And Janeway was a'ight, I guess.)

You missed something. Patrick Stewart believed that the show wouldn't last beyond 1 season and was actually surprised when it did. Also, part of the reason he was assimilated by the Borg in the Season 3 conclusion, is because (like Harrison Ford before him) wasn't entirely sure he'd be back for further seasons. Also, like Ford before him, once he read the scripts and the reason for his return, he indeed DID sign back on to continue. However, unlike Ford, he didn't want his character killed off to save everyone else.

I grew up with TOS reruns, and was 14 when TNG came out. I was living in Germany at the time and was so excited when AFRTS picked up the show for AFN because prior to that I would have had to wait for family in the States to send it to me on VHS. I'll always be a fan of both. They're very (deliberately) difficult to compare. Recently, I'm really loving Strange New World's.

Also from 1998-2008 the Las Vegas Hilton brought the interactive and immersive Star Trek the experience. If you owned a copy of first contact on VHS there was a promotional commercial before the movie started. You can still find videos about the experience and what it involved on RU-vid. Will you do anymore Star Trek videos?

"STARBASE FARPOINT" (although a 2 hour "santioned" peice), was absolutely GENIOUS!

I still consistently rewatch seasons 2-4 of TNG. RLM’s videos definitely inspired many re-watches too 😅

Loved this episode. Please add Galaxy Quest to your list of things to talk about.

Full speed ahead, Mr. Larson!

The ONLY thing I think you missed was John "Q" Delancie's character, where you jumped to season 3's the BORG

There is a SMALL group of people that would recognize the Sorted Food reference, and I'm proud to be a part of that group. Thank you, sir.

The beloved next generation

As much as a history of Star Trek’s development as it is a lesson on how broadcast and fandom was changing during this time period. And oh my goodness Roddenberry’s lawyer was something else. I highly recommend the documentary “Chaos on the Bridge” to anyone who likes wacky behinds the scenes stories about television production. Thanks for the great video, Dan & Greg!

The appearance of DeForest Kelley as Bones in Encounter at Farpoint really was their insurance to get the TOS fandom to watch.

You can watch TNG and it rarely feels dated. It holds up very well.

I loved TNG. While I, like many, grew up with the original series... TNG was just something epic.

Couple of little points: 1) Roddenberry was unhappy with his treatment on Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, as he was demoted to creative consultant after Star Trek: The Motion Picture was considered by Paramount to be a box office flop and 2) You mentioned Star Trek 2009 but not the 6th show Star Trek: Enterprise...

Hoping some day you can do a video on The Powers of Mathew Star. That show has fascinated me ever since I found it on ME-TV a few years ago.

"One is my name, the other is not."

Most people I know eventually bring up _Saturday Night Live_ and ask “Growing up, which was your favorite cast, or sketch, etc…?” I always happily say: “I never watched it.” _SNL_ was on opposite _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ and no way was I ever going to miss an episode for Adam Sandler. To this day, with all the terrible things being done to beloved franchises, _TNG_ still feels like a warm blanket any time I press play.

Trek was the show my dad watched as a kid than he watched TNG with his kids but it kinda ended because its kinda worn out

I’ve been on a huge binge of toy galaxy. This is what I’ve been waiting for. Let’s do this!!!

and yet Patrick Stewart on 1 American Dad episode that WAS a Star Trek Parody based one Denied that Star Trek even exists.

My inner geek is sooooo happy right now. Thanks for this amazing video!

I’m always surprised when Trek re-caps point out the “no antagonism” edict handed down by Gene, but then don’t show a clip of the old lady from the Wendy’s commercials saying “Where’s the beef??” 🤣🤣🤣

I'm glad this touched upon the "Best of Both Worlds" cliffhanger. I don't think shows ended seasons with cliffhangers before that, but since then I've lost count of the number of shows that end one season on a cliffhanger, with the promise of continuing the story next season. Whether that promise gets broken or not is another matter.

One of my favorite bits of ST trivia is Gates McFadden was already an accomplished choreographer and was principal on Labyrinth. She’s awesome.

I have a complete collection of the Playmates figures. Took me about 4 years to collect.

I remember at first not liking STTNG but then it grew on me and have loved everything since. The Toy line was great. I worked at Toy R Us at the time that was released it was great.

Great Video! Some of my earliest memories are of watching TNG when I was only a few years old and my dad flying me around the living room to the end credits music. I've been a trekkie ever since.

I just have to say thank you to this man, he's helped me remember shows and cartoons that I had totally pushed to the back of my memory.

Roddenberry was also kind of against the more militaristic representation of Starfleet the way it was first done in Wrath of Khan, which turned out to be one of the best choices for a change in general feel.

This show changed my life. I wouldn't be who I am without TNG. I was 10yrs old and I kept falling asleep before the end of the premier. I didn't find out what happened until yeas later.

from Riker's sitting to Riker's crotch near Data's face to Riker making eggs with flair - it was a glorious show though the series really doesn't become legendary until Yesterday's Enterprise - one of the greatest pieces of sci fi ever

One of my earliest memories is watching TOS with my dad when I was Tee-Tiny. TNG was and remains some of my favorite sci fi.

It’s ironic that a spin-off that everyone expected to fail turned out to arguably be the best interpretation of Gene Roddenberry’s vision of the future with every iteration following sliding downhill ever since.

The first time TNG hit our TV screens in the UK (1990. Wednesdays BBC2, 6pm) and amazed by the visuals, especially viewing the Enterprise-D for the first time (still my favourite starship design) seeing the bridge, and that saucer separation. A scene from 'Encounter at Farpoint' has Riker asking an Ensign the location of Data, stop and shows him with the assistance of a wall panel was the moment first moment I became interested in graphic design. Took me years to discover how much of an influence Andrew Probert would hold on me. The man who also worked on Battlestar Galactica and designed both Airwolf and Street Hawk.

I read that some of the original series cast didn't think Next Generation would make it, but it outlasted the original series by four seasons. Both shows were great and each had something good and unique to offer.

We grew up with occasional syndicated reruns of the classic series, as my Mom had been a fan when she was a teen. Plus watching the movies on TV/VHS/theatrically and seeing the animated show on Nickelodeon. We were fully on-board with THG when the pilot aired. I was a more casual; fans while my brother collected everything-the Playmates figures, ships, and roleplay gear, not to mention a bunch of the model kits and the big technical manuals and reference books.

My earliest childhood memories are sitting with my dad in the apartment we moved out of just before I turned 4 watching episodes of Star Trek (in reruns this would have been early '74). He took me to see The Motion Picture when it came out. One of the most traumatic movie experiences of my life was in Star Trek 3 when the Enterprise blows up. People all over the movie theater were sobbing. I was too in shock. As much as I loved daydreaming about flying an X-wing or sitting in one of the Falcon's gun turrets - climbing around the Jeffries Tubes with Scotty or manning a station on the bridge of the Enterprise was where I lived. (Under my bed I had taped control panels and sections of an old jump rope for control wires so it could be my own Jeffries Tube.) Back in 1st and 2nd grade the monkey bars on the school playground was our Enterprise. The charismatic blonde kid (Clinton) was always our Captain Kirk. The tall dark haired kid with the mini-swingline stapler (that when you pulled back the upper cover to load in new staples and used the foot as a hand grip kinda looked like an OG phaser) was always Spock, I was always Scotty. Then, when I was in fourth grade, everything changed when Star Wars toys hit the shelves. They were cheap and you could buy them with allowance money. The Star Trek toys of the time were (like GI Joe) Ken Dolls and Barbies with phasers and Star Trek uniforms and they cost $10-$15. For $15 you could buy an X-wing.

Just started watching this series after watch Picard on Amazon. Really enjoying it

Often they would fend off Klingons floating around Uranus

I grew up watching TOS in syndication. I was already in LOVE with Star Trek when TNG debuted. I still remember being so excited when Encounter at Farpoint came on. I greatly enjoyed DS9, Voyager, and Enterprise. Abrams Trek, Disco, and STNWs...not so much.

I understand you have a leave a ton of stuff out, but talking about Gates Mcfadden leaving for a season but not a single mention of Denise Crosby's infamous decision to leave the show and being unceremoniously killed off after only half a season is an interesting call.

And now I can introduce my girlfriend to the channel with her favourite show. Perfect timing! Keep up the content 😁

Imagine Patrick Stewart with a wig and French accent ... that almost happened!

I grew up with TNG and so glad it was a positive motivator in my young and adult life. I was just five years old when TNG premiered, but I remember that first moment crystal clear today. After many years, I finally got the opportunity to meet LeVar Burton in 2020 just before the national lockdown.

Your timing was perfect on this, as I have been rewatching the entire series over the last three weeks and just finished the last episode this morning. What a perfect way to cap it off, keep up the great work!

10:14 we often do feel like our own identity is attacked when the characters we relate to are not represented the way we see them

Okay, hear me out on this…. Will Wheaton and I are nearly the same age, and had a similar experience of growing up with the original series in re-runs. Say what you like about Wesley Crusher, I know a lot of fans dislike the character. But for me personally, he was always one of my favorites. By embodying that character, Will Wheaton got live the fantasy of actually being on the bridge, saving the ship a time or two, and being friends with some of the coolest people both real and imagined! For these and many other reason, Will Wheaton has as my admiration and respect! Live Long and Prosper Will!

That was a truly awesome show. I remember there was a sizzle reel at the start of Star Trek 4 on the VHS promoting it. When they first had it on TV here in Australia it 7:30 PM on a sunday night, like full on top tier time slot. Then from series 2 onwards they moved it to 10:30 PM on a tuesday. People still watched the hell out of it though. And there were so many of the actions figures, there must have been hundreds of them. Good times :)

_Star Trekkin' across the universe, bodly going forward, still can't find reverse._

I watched the first episode of TNG the night it aired, and I went to an outdoor camp the next week when I was in the sixth grade. I distinctly remember a couple of the high school-age camp counselors debating on whether the old admiral was McCoy...I knew it was, but they were unsure. Kids these days will never know how tense that summer was following the "Best of Both Worlds" cliffhanger. It was appointment television!

Some of my earliest memories are of watching TNG with my father, who is a huge fan of both TOS and TNG to this day. I'd never sat down to watch either show properly until a couple years ago when my father came to visit for the holidays, we ended up marathoning the first two seasons of TOS and four seasons of TNG and it was a blast. TNG is a fantastic series (well, eventually, the first season is really rough and S2 takes some time to get going), easily among the best sci-fi ever produced and one of my personal favorite series.

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”

What a pleasant surprise, i always love a toy galaxy upload but star trek tng also, yall must have known my birthday is in a few days and made this one just for me. You guys rock! Probably the best (and if im being honest only) birthday present ill he getting. Ill happily take it. Thanks for making my night.

Where in the world did you all find that 1-800-Star-Trek Conversational Klingon ad at the 19:10 mark??? Terrific quality, and one I've never seen before!

Watched TNG at least 5 nights a week and constantly took and opened my mom’s collection of the playmates toys. Ahh, the 90’s.

It is SIR Patrick Stewart