“Space. The final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise. Its continuing mission, to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no one has gone before.”
The above words were featured in the opening sequence of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Debuting on this day in 1987, Gene Roddenberry‘s captivating follow-up to the original Star Trek spawned 178 episodes and four motion pictures…not to mention paving the way for Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager, both of which were set during the same time period.
On a personal note, it was the series that introduced me to the wonder and excitement of Star Trek. Although I am a lifelong sci-fi fan, I came to the series late, with my first exposure to the show being the fifth season installment “Cause and Effect.” In that episode, the Enterprise becomes stuck in a time loop which ends with the ship being destroyed. Eventually, the crew manages to slowly piece together what is happening, sending a message to their future selves which averts the tragedy. I was compelled by the episode’s fantastic storytelling and how dynamic of a led that Patrick Stewart was. From there I went on to devour as much Trek as I could, and I remain a fan of the franchise to this day. (Even though I wish that Star Trek would stop telling prequel stories and move the story ahead another 80 years past the end of the Next Generation features).
I’m sure you have plenty of thoughts on Star Trek: The Next Generation, and I want to hear them all. In the comments, share with me your favorite episodes, characters and moments from the show. And, if you haven’t already, be sure to vote in this week’s poll!