Treknobabble #13: The Rise and Fall of The Next Generation

Posted by on April 21st, 2008   Filed under: Treknobabble

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Treknobabble is a continuing series of columns written by uber-Trekkie Reed Farrington in anticipation of the upcoming J.J. Abrams Star Trek movie.

So why aren’t Picard and company saving the universe in the next Star Trek movie?

The obvious answer is that the last Next Generation movie did very badly at the box office. The last movie, Nemesis, was advertised as the last Next Generation movie, but I assumed this was a marketing ploy after Insurrection didn’t perform so well. Sure, Patrick Stewart is getting old, and the supporting cast aren’t strong enough to drive a movie on their own, but this crew supposedly has chemistry and well-loved characters.

It doesn’t seem fair to me that when a sequel doesn’t do well, a franchise comes to an end. Only those franchises that have a life beyond movies ever get another chance to be revitalized. (Hey, there’s another “re” word!) Because Batman and Superman are still popular comic book and cartoon television series characters, they got second chances after producing atrocious sequels. So those movie franchises got reboots just like Star Trek. And because of a lack of imagination, we get origin stories.

Because the other Star Trek series never became popular enough, there was no hope in ever seeing a movie with those characters. Fans dreamed about taking the popular characters, or at least a mixture of characters, from all the series and having them in a movie. Or even a movie with all the captains. I don’t know if any of these ideas were seriously considered by studio heads. I suppose no one could come up with a decent script.

When The Next Generation went off the air to take over from The Original Series crew in the movies, The Next Generation was still at the height of its popularity on television. I believe that the actors’ contracts needed to be renewed and renegotiated, and it seemed more profitable to star them in movies while having cheaper actors starring in new series like Voyager. Seven years’ worth of episodes was plenty for syndication so The Next Generation could make money in reruns as well. (Hey, I’ve got a new title for the next movie: “Star Trek: The Rerun”.)

Somehow, The Next Generation went from seeming like it would become the definitive Star Trek to becoming the forgotten Star Trek. This seems to be a topic that no one bothers to discuss about Star Trek. After all, The Next Generation had better acting. Better special effects. (The first season effects are horrendous by today’s standards, though.) More realistic music. Um… can’t think of anything else. Okay, perhaps I’m not the best person to champion The Next Generation.

Most people agree that The Next Generation’s popularity took off with the second season cliffhanger when Riker issued the order to fire on the Borg ship containing the Borg-ified Picard. [Wasn’t that season 3? — Sean] The producer/writer Michael Piller gets credit for creating stability in the writing staff. Key writers, Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga, are hired. Later, Braga would be one of the creators of Enterprise. Moore would get acclaim with the new Battlestar Galactica. Braga would get a reputation for writing the bizarre stuff, while Moore would make Klingons popular and bring in elements from The Original Series.

Somehow, The Next Generation caught on as being a family show. I began reading Internet posts about how families would watch episodes together and discuss the morality and ethics of what took place in the show. I even witnessed my sister-in-law’s brother-in-law’s enthusiasm for the show at a family gathering. We have never discussed anything geeky then or since.

Personally, I enjoyed several episodes, but I never did understand the popularity that the show attained. I enjoyed the single plot line episodes more. Maybe that’s why I still like The Original Series the best.

My favorite Next Generation episode is “Tapestry”. [Mine too! — Sean] It’s the “It’s a Wonderful Life” type story in which Q shows Picard what his life would have been like if Picard had acted more thoughtfully in his youth. By not being impulsive and head-strong, Picard would still have his original heart, but he would only be an ensign, not a captain. (Ironically, now that Picard is captain, he no longer exhibits the qualities that made him captain. I guess we can argue about this later.) What made this episode so powerful for me is that it made me reflect on why my career was going nowhere.

As for the movies, everyone agrees that Kirk stole the show in Generations. Everyone thought First Contact was great. Everyone thought Insurrection sucked. (The main complaint was it seemed like a television episode rather than a movie. It was written by Michael Piller (see above). I thought people liked the television show.) And Nemesis sucked even worse. I don’t remember any specific complaints about Nemesis. The actors later complained that the director didn’t know or care about Star Trek. But as to exactly how this translated to what was seen on screen, I don’t know. Refer to my review of the movies for some specific comments about why I thought Nemesis sucked.

If you’ve ever wanted to get Brent Spiner’s autograph, now’s the time to get it while his popularity is low. (Sorry, Mr. Spiner.) He’s notorious for not attending conventions, but on the web, he’s trying to sell a new audio CD, “Dreamland,” of cover-tunes of old standards. I think for $25(US), he’s willing to sign his name on the CD, and for $30(US), he’ll actually personalize the CD to you (or anyone you wish, I suppose). Those prices include the CD. Unfortunately, you need to get the CD to get his autograph.

Actually, Mr. Spiner sings rather decently. I have his first CD, “Ol’ Yellow Eyes is Back.” Picard, Number One, Worf, and LaForge even joined him on one number. If you’re a fan of Lawrence Welk or Frank Sinatra, you’ll love Spiner’s music. (But he’s no Shatner. No one can speak a song like Shatner.)

I’ve noticed that there are very few fans of The Next Generation in Hollywood. Whenever someone like J.J. Abrams is interviewed about Star Trek, they always mention The Original Series. Even the stars, Scott Bakula and Jolene Blalock, of Enterprise never watched The Next Generation and referred constantly to The Original Series.

From glimpses depicted in the television series, we know early in Picard’s history that he was a brash, impulsive character. This could lead to interesting adventures. And we know that Data even by the first episode and adventure with the Enterprise-D crew doesn’t fit in with humans. So imagine how awkward and humorous his adjustment period would be after being first activated. Do we need to wait for the next generation of filmmakers before we get to see the story of Picard and Data’s Starfleet cadet days?



  • I fail to see any ‘fall’.

    It’s funny how your favourite episode is Tapestry because it has elements that you can relate to on a personal level. My favourite episode is Deja Q – maybe I actually relate to Q, feeling like a God constantly trying to get used to this human body putting limits on me.

    I agree with your sarcastic comment about the complaints for Insurrection.

    The fact that you can’t even remember what season “The Best of Both Worlds” started, or care enough to research it, makes me doubt your capabilities as a judge, and your dedication as a trekkie. It seems that other than a few childhood epiphanies that Kirk happened to inspire, you don’t really care all that much about Star Trek. At least the intellectual content is often lost – you apparently do have a very big knowledge of things like Brent Spiner’s discography.

    Star Trek: The Next Generation still represents a thoughtfulness and a confidence that has been missing in television since it went off the air (not counting re-runs). It’s not as ‘cool’ as The Original Series seems now. It doesn’t have the emotional threads as much as TOS did, it’s a much more professional life on board the Enterprise-D. Captain Picard is a professional, he is rarely emotionally involved, his decisions and worries are much more informed by his intellectual side. He knows how things go when you’re irrational and emotional, and he doesn’t think it betters the world. His motivation and ambition is one of compassion and worry for the world and the human race. His worries are more about what is right and wrong in principle, how the world can become a better place, how he can help further the race. Some people have called it a fascist way of thinking. It’s less compelling than the way Kirk behaved on the surface, but it’s much more interesting and challenging as a viewer to respond to.

  • Reed Farrington

    Good effort in trying to bait me with a slam against my dedication as a Trekkie, Henrik. Yes, I don’t even care enough right now to figure out why I think the cliffhanger was in Season 2 rather than Season 3. To be honest, I sometimes don’t look up things on purpose so that fans like you and Sean will correct me if I’m wrong.

    Thanks for elaborating on what appeals to you about The Next Generation. I’d like to hear some other people’s opinions on what made The Next Generation so appealing.

    Based on the recently published UK’s Empire Magazine’s top 50 TV shows ever, The Next Generation does have more appeal than the Original Series (at least to the readers of Empire magazine). Three Star Trek series made the list:

    47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
    43. Star Trek
    37. Star Trek: The Next Generation

    (Those steeped in Star Trek lore will find DS9’s number 47 ranking apt. Because of certain writers, the number 47 pops up often in the newer Star Trek series. I’m going to get around to explaining my love of DS9 someday.)

  • I wasn’t trying to bait you. I was being honest.

  • Rusty James

    @ “My favourite episode is Deja Q – maybe I actually relate to Q, feeling like a God constantly trying to get used to this human body”

    classic henrik!

    I gotta agree that you dropped the ball in a big way Reed. BOBW was the season 3 cliffhanger! How could you miss it? How hard is it too look up? Boo Boo.
    The tide is turning against you. Your halcyon days of ST commentary are over, now you’re entering a dark period.

    Anyways, among us hard core FJ trek fans, what’s the concensus on Ron Moore’s current show Battlestar Galactica. I’m loving season 4 so far, especially last episode. But it’s so relentlessly depressing.

    DS9 does not belong on a list of 50 greatest TV shows.

  • Reed Farrington

    OK, Henrik, if you weren’t baiting me, Rusty surely is. When I wrote that cliffhanger line, I actually did think twice about it. I know Shades of Grey was the first season ender that was a compilation episode poo-pooed by everybody. Oh, wait, that was the second season ender. The first season ender was that lame people in suspended animation episode with the Romulans saying they were back at the end. Ack, I’m too lazy to even look this up.

    Anyway, I quickly wanted to mention that I haven’t been watching Battlestar Galactica. I only saw the pilot and a scattering of first season episodes. I know. I know. It’s a great series. Blah, blah, blah.

  • Imagine having a compilation episode to end your first season! Next Gen is confident in its stories, but it’s not arrogant.

    Battlestar Galactica is edgy bullshit. I have only watched 3-4 episodes and it’s absolutely unberable. One had a storyline where the female pilot had to deal with having sent somebody she loved in the air before he was ready. Therefore when she had to train new pilots she treated them like shit, with unintentional hilarity. “What’s your name Ms.?” – “You will call me God”. And after she had treated them like shit for the entire episode (mixed with her previous relationship, most of which took place during sexual acts apparently, TONS of close-ups of ears and lips) she tells them to fuck off for life. Then somebody tells her they have to finish, and she tells them they can go back in school. Of course these poor people who did not choose to go into pilote training, they were forced because the human race is in such dire straits, are CELEBRATING that they get to go back! It was the biggest military commercial I had seen since I saw Transformers! Obviously things now go amazingly well, since the trainer has now confessed to the father of the man she killed because love had blinded her, and everybody is good friends. Then she sacrificed herself in true american fashion. “You guys get back to the ship. Tell them to take off. We can’t save us, but I’ll do what I can to GIVE THEM HELL” (that one’s a paraphrase, but quoted for truth).

    It’s everything that Star Trek is not. It’s pathetic. Not even going into the ridiculous style where every other shot will have the same sort of zoom-in-zoom-out framing – something that was copied in C&C3:Tiberium Wars, which coincidentally also has the woman in the red dress from Battlestar Galactica in the cutscenes.

  • Just to be clear to people getting the wrong idea, I AM joking with the Deja Q comments. It was just because Reed mentioned Tapestry was his favourite because he could relate to it personally, made me think about why Deja Q is my favourite episode. Seemed like a funny enough conclusion to warrant a joke.

  • Rusty James

    Henrik, Can’t agree on your police work 100% concerning BSG. It doesn’t really count as having watched the show to see a few random episodes. It’s a continuous story line, So to watch random episodes out of order doesn’t cut it. The point of that particular episode was Starbuck’s relationship with the Admiral. Of course you would’ve missed that if you hadn’t been following the story so far. And all the rookies were certaintly volunteers. The point is made explicit.
    And to say it’s a “military commercial” is to tragically and embarrassingly misinterpret what you were watching.

    Unfortunately the compilation episode was the series 2 finale. If only you’d bothered to look it up! You can give Reed his written apology here or just email it too him in private.

  • Eh… I was commenting on Reed initially saying it was the season 1 ender, and the absurdity of this statement. I guess you can’t plan for people misunderstanding everything.

    I am pretty sure the episode started with somebody dying, and that lead to a discussion of the low personnel for pilots, so they scraped together anybody who had any sort of flight knowledge.

    And for people being treated like shit for a prolonged period of time to be excited to go back, I find ludicrous. It was so “Yay! We get to die for our race! WOOHOOO! Take that alien scum.”

    Her relationship with the admiral was basically dealt with in the one scene where she told him she killed his kid, and he said “Get back to work”.

    But there was another episode where the admiral and his chubby, lovable sidekick had some sort of 15-minute sleep-every-so-and-so-hours thing going on. The admiral was like “is it your turn or mine?” and the sidekick went “It’s your turn, get some rest Sir”. Then some anonymous messenger boy apparently knows everything that’s going on because he ASKS the sidekick “Uhh, isn’t it your turn?” and of course, the military fantasy-style XO replies with dialogue like: “If the old man can’t remember whos turn it is, it’s his turn.” It’s a fucking ridiculous show.

  • Just took my time to think about this:

    “my sister-in-law’s brother-in-law’”

    Is this not yourself? Or am I getting the in-law system wrong?

  • Reed Farrington

    Henrik, I hate in-law word puzzles and I often misunderstand the usage myself, but I don’t think my sister-in-law’s brother-in-law can be me unless I had a brother who was married to my sister.

    My brother’s wife is my sister-in-law. She has a sister whose husband I am referring to is my sister-in-law’s brother-in-law.

    Oh, wait. If I was married to my sister-in-law’s sister, then I would be my sister-in-law’s brother-in-law as well.

    All I really know about these word puzzles is that the doctor is a female. (That’s a joke. Don’t worry if you don’t understand it.)

    And to make this post somewhat relevant to Star Trek, Ron D. Moore’s next announced project after Battlestar Galactica sounds interesting. It sounds like a series based on holodeck misadventures.

    BTW, I didn’t mean to dismiss Battlestar Galactica so offhandedly although my first impressions are not unlike those of Henry’s. I guess I can wait until the DVD sets come down in price. Oh, I don’t have cable TV and BG isn’t available off the airwaves where I am. Otherwise, I would watch it.

  • Since she is married to your brother, aren’t you her brother-in-law too? What do you call the brother of your wife? Wouldn’t it be the same as the husbond of your sister? This is confusing stuff, I will never get married.

  • Reed Farrington

    Um, your logic is impeccable, Henrik.

    If I was a computer, I’d explode right about now. (With a nod to the Original Series.)

  • Your brain is amazing, you make up wordplays without even knowing it. Imagine if we hook you up to Reginald Barclays machine from The Nth Degree? You will puzzle the wordsmiths across the nations.

  • Reed Farrington

    Henrik, your comment about The Nth Degree triggered a memory about a boo-boo made in the Original Series episode Court Martial in which Kirk tells the computer to magnify (amplify?) the audio by “one to the fourth power.” For those of you who are math impaired, one to the fourth power is one.

    I’m really surprised that got by everyone during the creation of the episode. I guess television production is really a fast-paced, “no time to question anything” environment!

    I’m looking forward to all the giraffes, I mean gaffes, that J.J. Abrams is going to let slip by. Hey, I’m not wishing any ill-fortune on him, I’m just commenting on the human condition.