Star Trek the Next Generation
Star Trek: Next Generation aired from 1987 to 1994 on CBS. The show was a sequel to the original series that ended in the late 1960’s, but with a new crew (the same mission). The main characters of the show were Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, Jonathan Frakes as Commander William Riker, LeVar Burton as engineer Geordi La Forge, Denise Crosby as security officer Tasha Yar, Michael Dorn as Security officer Worf, Gates McFadden as Dr. Crusher, Diana Muldaur as Dr. Pulaski, Marina Sirtis as Counselor Troy, Brent Spiner as the android Data, and Whil Weaton as Dr. Crusher’s son, Wesley. From time to time, especially when time travel was in order, some of the original cast members (Spock, Bones, Sarek, and Scotty) would show up. The show was a huge success, spawning a total of four full feature films released to theaters in 1994, 1996, 1998, and 2002.
The setting of the show was some 70 years into the future from the original show, in the year 2364, and the new crew of the Enterprise was given the same charter as before, to “explore strange new worlds…[and] to boldly go where no one has gone before.” This was the series that introduced Trekkies to characters like the Q, the Ferengi, the Cardassians, and the Borg. Fans of the show will remember the very first episode had the crew on trial by the Q, and the final show came full circle, with Picard once again having to prove to the Q that humans were worthy of existence.