Some of Star Trek TNG’s Best Episodes Wouldn’t Have Been Made If Gene Roddenberry Had His Way

When Megastar Trek: The Authentic Sequence (TOS) was once canceled in 1969, fanatics of the display concept they could by no means see the workforce of the Endeavor once more. However the fanatics themselves made certain that did not occur. The sequence was once so widespread in syndication that Paramount evolved a 2d Megastar Trek sequence: Megastar Trek: The Animated Sequence (TAS). Regardless that TAS most effective lasted a season and a part, the continuing pastime in Megastar Trek resulted in the advance of a 2d are living motion display. This ultimately become the primary Megastar Trek movie, Megastar Trek: The Movement Image.

As the twentieth anniversary of the display’s premiere approached in 1986, Paramount made up our minds to release a brand-new Megastar Trek sequence. In line with Star Trek: The Next Generation — The Continuing Mission, Paramount sought after to expand the brand new display with out Gene Roddenberry, the writer of the franchise, on the helm. The studio had all the time struggled to paintings with Roddenberry, who was once extremely protecting of his inventive imaginative and prescient and whose private legal professional was once absolute best described as a ruthless shark. After a lot deliberation, the studio made up our minds that it was once unattainable to make Megastar Trek with out Roddenberry. In order that they introduced him onboard for the brand new sequence, which might turn out to be Megastar Trek: The Subsequent Era (TNG).

Comparable

Megastar Trek: Decrease Decks Season 5 Takes a Delicate Dig at One in all Roddenberry’s Golden Regulations

This one-liner within the Decrease Decks season 5 premiere is a deep reduce that most effective hardcore fanatics of the franchise will catch.

Roddenberry’s Regulations

True to shape, Roddenberry took inventive regulate of the brand new display as quickly because the ink dried on his contract. To make sure that the brand new display would put in force his imaginative and prescient to his prime requirements, Roddenberry introduced on a number of of his unswerving writers from TOS to assist expand the display.

When the Writer’s Guide for Star Trek: The Next Generation was once entire, it incorporated a couple of pages of laws about what wasn’t allowed at the display, a listing that was once informally dubbed Roddenberry’s Regulations. A number of writers who labored on TNG stated that any script that did not practice Roddenberry’s Regulations was once in an instant rejected, without reference to its high quality. This resulted in many conflicts within the author’s room, particularly as a result of even Roddenberry’s maximum unswerving writers did not accept as true with a few of his laws for the display.

Because it seems, there have been excellent causes for the disagreements. If the writers had adopted all of Roddenberry’s laws to the letter, one of the vital maximum liked episodes of TNG would not exist.

Rule #1: No TOS Characters or Their Descendants

Some of the issues Roddenberry was once specifically insistent about was once now not together with characters from The Authentic Sequence. The TNG‘s Author’s Information states:

Roddenberry believed that visitor appearances by way of the unique characters would overshadow TNG’s characters, and he was once certain this could doom the brand new sequence. This trust was once now not unfounded. Trekkies had already made it transparent they were not glad a few new Megastar Trek with a distinct set of characters. They have been so unsatisfied, that once information of the brand new display leaked, they in truth picketed at Paramount Studios. Trek fanatics are not anything if now not devoted. So, all of the acquainted faces from TOS have been banned from TNG’s tales — regardless that Roddenberry broke his personal rule in TNG’s first actual episode when Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy made a cameo.

Fending off TOS superstars will have been essential within the early seasons, when Trekkies have been assembly and finding out to like the brand new characters. Nevertheless it did not make sense when the display was once established. Fortuitously, the writers learned that and began writing cameos for the most beloved TOS characters. In the event that they hadn’t, fanatics by no means would have got the superb episodes “Sarek,” “Unification Portions 1 & 2,” and “Relics.”

Rule #2: No Vulcans

In the similar spirit because the ban on TOS characters, this Roddenberry Rule was once codified with one very transparent commentary:

The sentiment is proper; no arguing that time. Through now not depending on tales that includes Vulcans, the writers of TNG have been compelled to examine some superb new species. To this point, over 300 alien species were noticed or discussed within the franchise. However this could have took place even with some Vulcan-centered episodes within the combine. And it appears, the guiding principle of “no copying ourselves” most effective carried out to characters, as a result of a number of early episodes of TNG were remixes of TOS episodes.

The TNG writers did practice this rule beautiful neatly, and TNG is the Megastar Trek display with the fewest Vulcans. However they did ruin the rule of thumb for the aforementioned “Sarek” and “Unification Portions 1 & 2,” and fanatics are satisfied they did.

Rule #3: No War With the Klingons or the Romulans

Roddenberry did not outright ban Klingons and Romulans from TNG as he did with Vulcans, however he did insist that writers keep away from tales concerning the Federation’s conflicts with those species. Regardless that this prohibition was once partly motivated by way of now not depending at the similar ideas as TOS, it was once extra motivated by way of Roddenberry’s idealistic imaginative and prescient of the twenty fourth century. He believed that by way of then, 100 years after the primary workforce of the Endeavor, the Federation would not interact in large-scale war with a complete species, particularly ones as acquainted because the Klingons and the Romulans.

Alternatively, the writers broke this rule beautiful early on, no less than for this type of species. Because the Klingons have been allied with the Federation within the twenty fourth century and there was once a Klingon at the bridge of the Endeavor-D, the Klingons could not be main antagonists in TNG. However the Romulans may, and so they make such excellent villains. So, the ban on war with the Romulans was once lifted by way of the top of TNG’s first season.

Through the 3rd season, the ban on war with the Klingons was once deserted as neatly. Regardless that they remained allies of the Federation, a number of unbelievable episodes featured nerve-racking encounters with the Klingons, which hinted that peace was once precarious.

The record of episodes that may were excluded from TNG if this rule was once adopted is immense. Among the absolute best come with “A Topic Of Honor,” “Redemption, Portions 1 & 2,” “Birthright, Portions 1 & 2,” “The Thoughts’s Eye,” “The Defector,” and “Face Of The Enemy.”

Rule #4: Apply the Top Directive

Roddenberry was once adamant that Starfleet will have to keep away from interfering with the herbal construction of species and cultures on different worlds. This guiding principle was once discussed, however hardly ever adopted, in TOS. In TNG, regardless that, Roddenberry was once insistent it will have to be upheld. He was once so insistent, in truth, that the in-universe rule previously referred to as Normal Order One was the Top Directive.

Alternatively, the minds at the back of TNG quickly came upon that forcing the workforce of the Endeavor to make a decision whether or not to obey the Top Directive made for compelling tales. Will have to the workforce obey the Top Directive if it supposed letting a complete planet be destroyed? Will have to they violate it to stop genocide? Through the second one season, the Top Directive was once a common supply of dramatic stress in TNG episodes, and Captain Picard made the verdict to violate it on a shockingly common foundation.

The writers made the suitable determination by way of breaking this Roddenberry Rule. In the event that they hadn’t, fanatics would have overlooked superb episodes like “Pen Buddies,” “Who Watches the Watchers,” and “Homeward.”

Regardless that Roddenberry had cast justifications for many of his strict laws about what wasn’t allowed in TNG, the writers ultimately proved that the majority of them might be damaged with out harming the luck of the display. And after all, fanatics benefited from that call.

Megastar Trek: The Subsequent Era

Liberate Date

September 28, 1987

Forged

Patrick Stewart , Jonathan Frakes , Brent Spiner , Gates McFadden , Denise Crosby , Michael Dorn , Marina Sirtis , Wil Wheaton , LeVar Burton , Whoopi Goldberg

Seasons

7

Author

Gene Roddenberry

Selection of Episodes

178

Assets: Writer’s Guide for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation — The Continuing Mission