It has been 39 years since Star Trek helped change television forever, thanks to a new series that reignited the entire franchise. Star Trek began life in 1966 when it premiered on NBC with The Original Series, and while the road was tough, it did end up getting three seasons before the network finally cancelled it. After Gene Roddenberry’s original series ended with just 79 episodes, an animated series brought back the cast and continued on for two more seasons and 22 episodes. In 1979, Star Trek came to the big screen, and it launched a successful film series with Star Trek: The Motion Picture. However, 39 years ago, Star Trek returned to its home on television, and it not only gave the franchise a new life, but it also helped change television forever.
On September 28, 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted with its premiere episode “Encounter at Farpoint,” which was co-written by Gene Roddenberry and D.C. Fontana and directed by Corey Allen. The double-length episode earned a 15.7 Nielsen rating and delivered a quality of television that revived sci-fi television and quality TV as a whole.
Premiering on September 28, 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced the world to Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart. The series was different from the start, taking place 95 years after The Original Series, and it was on a ship known as the Enterprise-D, with a completely new design. The series also changed the format, as it featured interpersonal relationships and drama that were only hinted at on The Original Series. It also moved away from The Original Series, which focused mostly on Captain Kirk’s action-packed moments, and instead, the new show dealt with the entire crew, who had to settle moral dilemmas they encountered along the way. This was more philosophical than action-packed, although there were some big space battles along the way.
“Encounter at Farpoint” introduced the new crew on their maiden voyage as they set off to the planet Deneb IV to open relations with the people there. However, from the start, they met Q (John de Lancie), an omnipotent being with power over time, space, the laws of physics, and reality itself. This added something almost supernatural to the entire proceedings, and he went on to appear in several TNG episodes, as well as other shows in the franchise over the next few decades. He informed the crew of Enterprise-D that humanity was on trial for savagery, and it was up to this crew to determine humanity’s fate.
It was a huge storyline to start a new series, and it showed how Gene Roddenberry was pushing his themes and storylines in a philosophical direction from the start. Reviews were split, with some critics praising it and others slamming the series and its actors. However, that didn’t stop fans from tuning in, and the show’s popularity just kept getting stronger over the years. It was one of the rare shows that actually began to increase in ratings in later seasons. The Season 7 finale ended up with a 17.4 Nielsen rating.
There was little chance that the producers believed that Star Trek: The Next Generation would be as successful as it was when it premiered in syndication. While the movies were relatively successful, this was a chance to bring the franchise back to television to see if there was interest from fans in more. Star Trek: The Next Generation was a first-run broadcast syndication series, and it was a risk because syndication was not used for shows like TNG. Networks asked to see a pilot before committing to a 26-episode first season. Gene Roddenberry also wanted creative freedom. Paramount decided to ignore network demands and make it itself.
It was a huge decision and an overwhelming success. By airing it in syndication, Paramount offered the show to local stations for free and split the ad revenue, with Paramount selling seven minutes of national commercial time and local stations getting five minutes for local businesses. Paramount made enough per episode from ad revenue to partially fund the series, and things started flying from there. The premiere episode itself was shown in several locations, including Dallas, Los Angeles, and Miami, and it gained higher ratings than the four major networks during prime time. Thanks to the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation, shows like Baywatch, Highlander: The Series, and Babylon 5 all followed suit.
