The Star Trek franchise shows no signs of slowing down, with an upcoming Starfleet Academy series gearing up to premiere and fan-favorite series like Star Trek: Strange New Worlds setting its phasers for a return. Yet with all the TV shows and movies released over the years, finding an entry point into Star Trek can be a tricky prospect. Fans also have opinions on what the best Trek entry point is, but for my money, there’s one series that serves as the perfect entry point to the world of Star Trek …and that’s Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Taking place a century after the events of Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek The Next Generation follows the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D on their own voyage across the stars. Yet it stands on its own two feet, thanks to its incredible cast and the way it introduced and then built upon concepts and characters that would come to define the Star Trek universe for years. Star Trek: The Next Generation is also notable for being the last major Star Trek project that Gene Roddenberry was involved with before his death, and it would even reignite interest in the franchise over time.
‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ Thrives Due to Its Ensemble Cast
Star Trek is well known for its ensemble casts, and The Next Generation might have one of the strongest ensembles in the franchise’s history. Each character was able to shine across seven seasons, with plenty of episodes that spotlighted their individual strengths. But the biggest draw is the character dynamics between the U.S.S. Enterprise-D’s crew. Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) has a close friendship with his first officer, William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), and buckets of romantic tension with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden); Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton) and Data (Brent Spiner) are not only close friends, but they share some of the series’ best episodes. Even characters like Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) had their time in the limelight, which provided some much-needed variety that kept viewers tuning in week after week.
Star Trek: The Next Generation also thrived because it wasn’t a carbon copy of Star Trek: The Original Series. The Enterprise-D crew has their own unique traits and struggles; Worf (Michael Dorn) wrestles early in the series with whether to embrace his Klingon heritage or continue serving with Starfleet, which is a direct contrast to how Spock feels split between two worlds because of his half-human heritage. Picard is also more of a strategist than James T. Kirk but struggles with developing closer relationships. Seeing these characters grow and change is part of the appeal of The Next Generation, and a great reason why it’ll appeal to Trek newcomers.
‘The Next Generation’s Best Episodes Showcase Everything Great About Star Trek
Star Trek, at its core, is about humanity’s desire to be better than it is — and Star Trek: The Next Generation puts that element at the forefront of its best episodes. Take Data; the android’s quest to learn more about his humanity results in some compelling stories that explore what it means to be human. The Season 2 episode “The Measure of a Man” remains the best of these episodes, as Data is part of a trial to determine whether he’s Starfleet property or his own individual. Picard’s impassioned defense of Data remains one of the series’ high points, especially as it taps into that essential Star Trek element of being better than you were. The episode “Elementary, Dear Data” also is a reminder that for all the heavy topics it tackles, Star Trek can still have a little fun with itself – especially in an episode that sees Data and Geordi reenacting a Sherlock Holmes story.
The episodes that truly stand out introduce characters or ideas that would return to affect the cast of The Next Generation. In the Season 2 episode “Q Who,” the Enterprise-D crew encounters the cybernetic intelligence known as the Borg, who assimilate entire worlds into their collective. The Borg would continue to make appearances throughout the series, including “The Best of Both Worlds,” which saw the Borg kidnapping and assimilating Picard. This episode has everything that makes Star Trek great, as the crew of the Enterprise uses their knowledge — particularly in Geordi and Wesley’s case — to beat back the Borg. There’s a major human dilemma; can the Enterprise crew save Picard, or will Riker be forced to take down his friend? The Borg themselves remain a frightening presence, especially in this day and age where artificial intelligence is a major point of contention in the creative arts. “The Best of Both Worlds” is often cited as the moment where Star Trek: The Next Generation cemented itself as a true successor to the original Star Trek, but I’d argue that it’s also one of the episodes to show newcomers if you want them to understand what Trek is about.
Some of the Best Star Trek Shows Wouldn’t Exist Without ‘The Next Generation’
As Star Trek: The Next Generation grew in popularity, it paved the way for a number of spinoff shows as well as a series of feature films. These projects were allowed to go in new directions thanks to the groundwork laid by The Next Generation, and it resulted in some great Star Trek stories. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine showcased the darker side of Starfleet, and also featured a strong connection to The Next Generation in the form of Worf, who played a key role after joining Deep Space Nine in its later seasons. The Next Generation film Star Trek: First Contact dealt with the fallout of Picard’s abduction by the Borg, resulting in one of Stewart’s best performances as the character.
The Next Generation continues to have a massive impact on Star Trek projects, as its characters and storylines have inspired everything from the final season of Star Trek: Discovery to key plot points in Star Trek: Prodigy. The biggest example would be Star Trek: Picard, especially its finale “The Last Generation,” which not only reunites the original cast of The Next Generation but has them piloting the Enterprise-D to once again battle the Borg. Once again, everything that makes Trek great is on the screen — and fans have Star Trek: The Next Generation to thank for it. The series is the perfect entry point for those new to Trek, both in terms of how it serves as the perfect introduction to this world and how it laid the foundation for some truly great stories.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is available to stream on Paramount+ in the U.S.
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