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Star Trek: The Next Generation,which premiered in September 1987, is widely seen as the one series that brought forth a remarkable resurrection for the entireStar Trekfranchise. Effectively the beacon that set the stage for further works in the franchise,The Next Generationwas set a century after the events of the originalStar Trekseries, and in itself spurredStar Trek: Deep Space Nine,and four further movies that featured Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard and his team of explorers.
However, according to Dorothy Fontana, it was the sudden impact of George Lucas’Star Warsand the kind of fan following it garnered that Paramount initially began to look for ideas for a newStar Trekseries. Fontana, who was one of the writers on the originalStar Trekseries, revealed in an interview how Paramount would produce 4 movies with the original cast before working onThe Next Generation.
The Next Generationwas a direct response to George Lucas’Star Wars
The Next Generationin itself was initially ideated byGene Roddenberry, who was a major voice behind the originalStar Trekseries. While Roddenberry had for years fought for a new series, which eventually becameThe Next Generation,the success found byStar Warsin the 1980s meant that Paramount saw their original IPas the go-to, for the time being.
The Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode That Was So Controversial the UK Banned it
This led to the creation of four movies, as Fontana explained how Paramount thought about the situation: (Entertainment Weekly)
I think approximately six scripts were developed [for what was then called Star Trek: Phase II]. Then, Star Wars happened. Suddenly Paramount was saying, ”Don’t we have a franchise show that we could do that with?” The idea for a series, to my undestanding, was put aside and they started doing the movie.
The result wasStar TrekPhase II, which included four movies(1979-1986) featuring the original cast, all proving to be box office successes. However, while the movies were all box office successes, it was the continued success ofStar Wars,and the sudden increase of interest inStar Trekreruns that eventually brought forthThe Next Generation,and gave Paramount a reason to further create stories around their most popular IP of the time.
The Next Generationwas shelved for several years before eventually being picked up
Star Trek: The Next Generation [ Paramount Domestic Television]As it turns out, while Paramount set off with the creation of the four films that eventually became known asStar TrekPhase II, the continued success ofStar WarsmeantRoddenberry’s ideas eventually saw fruition, only years later.
According to Robert H. Justman, the producer of the original series, the movies, as well asStar Wars’success, all contributed to a sudden increase in the original show’s reruns: (Entertainment Weekly)
I think [the idea for a new series] came about as a result of the sudden explosion of Star Trek reruns. It just gathered up a whole slew of people who had never seen the show. But the whole thing came to naught because of, I think, tense bargaining terms with respect to money.
Hence, even if Paramount initially decided to work on the movies,The Next Generationwas destined to get a new lease of life, as production eventually moved ahead in 1986. According to Justman, much was down to Roddenberry’s efforts:
![Star Trek: The Next Generation [Credit Paramount Domestic Television]](https://i2.wp.com/fwmedia.fandomwire.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/18104403/Star-Trek-The-Next-Generation-Credit-Paramount-Domestic-Television-1024x576.jpg)
In the mid-1980s, Paramount realized that they were making zillions of dollars on this old television show and if they had a new one, they could milk the cow again. Gene had a peculiar way of getting people onto whatever show he was doing. I knew enough to know that when he called me to go to lunch and screen some films to look at the special effects, a new show was in the offing.
Thus, not only did the show’s creator do more than his fair bit to get Paramount working onThe Next Generation,the iconic series has plenty to thank George Lucas’Star Warsas well.
Star Trek: The Next Generation,is currently available to watch on Netflix.
Rishabh Bhatnagar
Editor/Reviewer
Articles Published :315
Rishabh Bhatnagar is an Entertainment and pop culture journalist/editor with Fandom Wire. He has more than 6 years of experience working for multiple major platforms and is himself an avid consumer of worthwhile content. A natural storyteller, Rishabh has a unique way with words and is always looking to improve, as a storyteller, writer, and a journalist.
