Reruns of the original series, airing in syndication in the 70's, led Paramount to relaunch it as a series of feature films. Three of those movies were in the books, and reaping big bucks at the box office, before the studio decided to create a new Trek, more than 20 years after the Enterprise's initial mission had begun.
Star Trek: The Next Generation not only outlasted the original Trek, but achieved iconic status of its own, such that there would be a couple of feature films, and another series, spinning out of this show.
Patrick Stewart was cast as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard, the commander of a reincarnation of the old Enterprise, but much larger in size, enough to hold an entire community. Advances in real-life technology allowed for the introduction of new additions, such as the holodeck, where crew members could live out their own personal fantasies. For example, Picard would use the holodeck to play out the role of private investigator Dixon Hill.
The success of Next Generation was such that when Deep Space Nine was launched a few years later, cast members Colm Meaney (O'Brien) and Michael Dorn (Worf) were spun off to the new show. Today, Next Generation remains a cable fixture, airing on BBC America, among others, on a daily basis. Sadly, the three series that have followed (Deep Space Nine, Voyager, & Enterprise) are all in the Paramount vaults.
Following is the intro to season 1:
Rating: A.
2 comments:
I used to like this show a lot, but it seems so dated now! People used to joke that the set of the new bridge resembled an 80s dentist's office!
In LV at what used to be the LV Hilton, there was an attraction based on TNG - based on two scenerios: one being you were being kidnapped by a futuristic villain who wanted to disrupt the timeline (Patrick Stewart and a few other cast members were present via video). Then you get a ride through all sorts of space battles!
The second was that the Borg had taken over the ship (actors in costume walked about the crowds) and it became an adventure to get them out. I remember a kid was scared to death of the "Borg" and was crying and begging his family to get him out of there!
The attraction has long since closed, but it was fun. There were exact recreations of the bridge we all had to pass through on our way to the ride. There was also a museum of sorts with a ST timeline and exhibits showing props and costumes from all the Trek shows.
Maybe they closed it too soon?
In a couple of years, TNG will mark its 30th anniversary. Watch Trekkers get excited all over again.
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