Star Trek: The Next Generation: Coming Of Age

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 18th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. In an rare example of what passes for a “story arc” in early TNG, the characters of Admiral Quinn and the disagreeable Commander Remmick make their first of two first-season appearances. Read more

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Heart Of Glory

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 19th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is the first episode of the series to focus on the Klingon race – a holdover from the original series and movies that series creator Gene Roddenberry had planned to avoid revisiting until co-producer (and fellow classic Trek producer) Bob Justman convinced him otherwise during pre-production, leading to the very late creation of a “Klingon Marine” named Worf. Read more

Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Arsenal Of Freedom

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 20th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is the second of three occasions in the series in which the Enterprise’s saucer section is separated from the rest of the ship. Read more

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Skin Of Evil

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 22nd episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This marks the final appearance of Denise Crosby as series regular Lt. Tasha Yar; the actress has decided to move on to less limited roles. Crosby returns to TNG several times, and later hosts several documentaries on the Star Trek phenomenon. Read more

Star Trek: The Next Generation: We’ll Always Have Paris

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 23rd episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is one of the late first season episodes most notably affected by the Writers’ Strike, as filming had to begin without a completed final draft script. Michelle Phillips guest stars. Read more

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Conspiracy

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 24th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This is the goriest episode of the series’ entire run; even improved make-up effects in later seasons never quite match up to this story’s exploding head and torso (graphic visuals which any network with creative input or oversight would likely have nixed). Despite ending on an obvious cliffhanger, this story is never revisited by any later episodes or spinoff series. Read more

Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Neutral Zone

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 25th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. This episode marks the end of the first season (with no guarantee, due the 1988 Writers’ Guild strike, that the series will be back in production anytime soon), and the return of the Romulans to the Star Trek universe, a sign that Gene Roddenberry is relaxing his stance on revisiting elements of the original series. Read more

Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Child

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 26th episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, beginning the series’ second season. This episode introduces Diana Muldaur as the Enterprise’s new chief medical officer, Dr. Katherine Pulaski, and Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan. The script is actually a holdover from the aborted 1977 attempt to relaunch the original Star Trek on a Paramount network that never came together; the barely-reworked script is dug up in an attempt to get filming started as soon as possible after the end of the Writers’ Guild strike. Read more

Star Trek: The Next Generation: Q Who?

Star Trek: The Next GenerationThe week-long national syndication window opens for the 41st episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Guest starring John de Lancie and Whoopi Goldberg, this is the episode which introduces the Borg to the Star Trek universe. Read more