130 Fun Facts About Star Trek: the Next Generation

On what date did Star Trek: The Next Generation premiere in syndication?

The pilot was shown as a two-hour TV movie, and more than 50 network affiliates pre-empted their own programming to carry it.

How many episodes of The Next Generation were made across its seven seasons?

That is more than double the 79 episodes of the original series, which TNG overtook during its fourth season with the episode "Legacy".

Who plays Captain Jean-Luc Picard?

Stewart, a Royal Shakespeare Company veteran, was so unsure the show would last that he reportedly did not unpack his suitcases for weeks.

Which actor plays the android Data, as well as his brother Lore and their creator Noonien Soong?

Spiner said he spent more hours of the day in his pale make-up than out of it, and later played the ancestor Arik Soong on Enterprise.

Which crew member is a Klingon raised by human parents after being orphaned in the Khitomer Massacre?

Worf went on to appear in more Star Trek episodes than any other character, thanks to his later run on Deep Space Nine.

Geordi La Forge, who is blind, sees by means of what device worn over his eyes?

LeVar Burton called wearing it a living hell: it took away 85 to 90 percent of his vision and he spent the first season bumping into light stands.

Which actor plays Q, who puts humanity on trial in the pilot and returns in the finale?

Q was written as a cosmic judge, but over seven seasons the pairing with Picard became as comic as it was menacing.

Whoopi Goldberg plays which bartender in the Ten-Forward lounge?

Goldberg asked for the part herself; she had been inspired to act by Nichelle Nichols as Uhura and lobbied Roddenberry over lunch.

In which season two episode did the Borg make their first appearance?

Q flung the Enterprise across the galaxy for that first encounter to prove humanity was not ready for what was out there.

What name did the Borg give the assimilated Picard in "The Best of Both Worlds"?

The cliffhanger sat over the summer of 1990 with Riker's order to fire, and TV Guide later ranked it among the 100 most memorable moments in television history.

Where did Starfleet make its doomed stand against the Borg in 'The Best of Both Worlds'?

Deep Space Nine's pilot later revealed that Benjamin Sisko lost his wife at that battle, tying the two series together.

Which Borg expert, played by Elizabeth Dennehy, became Riker's first officer during the Borg crisis?

Riker had by then turned down his own command three times, including the Melbourne, which was among the ships lost at Wolf 359.

In "The Inner Light", how much time passes on the bridge while Picard lives a lifetime as Kamin?

The episode won the 1993 Hugo Award, and its flute prop, valued at $1,000, sold at auction in 2006 for more than $40,000.

On which dying planet does Picard live out his life as the iron weaver Kamin in "The Inner Light"?

Writer Morgan Gendel took the title from the George Harrison Beatles song, itself based on the Tao Te Ching.

In 'The Measure of a Man', which cyberneticist wants to dismantle Data to build more like him?

Data bore him no grudge afterwards, and Maddox turned up decades later in Star Trek: Picard as the man behind Data's synthetic daughters.

Who is forced to argue the case against Data at his hearing in "The Measure of a Man"?

A shortage of qualified officers on Starbase 173 meant the first officer had to prosecute or the judge would rule against Data by default.

The Tamarian captain Dathon beams himself and Picard down to El-Adrel and utters which phrase?

The Tamarians speak entirely in mythological allusion, so the universal translator renders the words but not the meaning.

Which veteran actor played the Tamarian captain Dathon in "Darmok"?

Winfield had already died on Star Trek once, as Captain Terrell in The Wrath of Khan.

In "Yesterday's Enterprise", who captains the Enterprise-C, which emerges from a rift in time?

Her ship had answered a distress call from a Klingon outpost on Narendra III, and sending it back to die restored the timeline.

Which season-one casualty is alive again in the alternate timeline of 'Yesterday's Enterprise'?

Denise Crosby returned again as Sela, Yar's half-Romulan daughter, born from the consequences of that episode.

Which tar-like alien on the planet Vagra II killed the ship's security chief in season one?

Denise Crosby had asked to leave the show, and Roddenberry wanted a sudden, meaningless death typical of a security officer's risks.

Which Cardassian, played by David Warner, tortures Picard and insists there are five lights?

The four-lights scene is a direct homage to Orwell's 1984, and the two-parter was the last TNG to air before Deep Space Nine premiered.

Who temporarily replaces Picard as Enterprise captain in "Chain of Command"?

Jellico later resurfaced as an admiral in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy.

Which Cheers star played Captain Bateson of the USS Bozeman in the time-loop episode 'Cause and Effect'?

Kirstie Alley was meant to reprise Saavik alongside him but was unavailable, and the Bozeman was a redressed Reliant model from The Wrath of Khan.

In "Cause and Effect", which number keeps appearing during the poker game as a clue to escaping the loop?

Data works out that the three stands for the pips on Riker's collar, meaning Riker's suggestion, not his own, will save the ship.

In "Tapestry", Picard has an artificial heart because he was stabbed as a young officer by which species?

Given the chance to avoid the bar fight, Picard ends up a timid junior science officer and begs Q to put the tapestry back as it was.

What is the name of the android daughter Data builds in "The Offspring"?

The name is Hindi for beloved, and the episode was Jonathan Frakes' first as a director.

Which cast member made his directing debut with "The Offspring" and went on to direct two Star Trek films?

Frakes directed First Contact and Insurrection, and Burton and Stewart later took turns behind the camera as well.

Which Sherlock Holmes villain becomes self-aware on the holodeck in "Elementary, Dear Data"?

Geordi accidentally created him by asking the computer for an opponent capable of defeating Data rather than Holmes.

Which original-series star cameoed in "Encounter at Farpoint" and refused more than the minimum salary?

Kelley played a 137-year-old Admiral McCoy inspecting the new ship, as a gesture to Gene Roddenberry.

Which planet is the Enterprise heading to on its maiden voyage in "Encounter at Farpoint"?

The Bandi people there had built Farpoint Station by exploiting a captured space creature, which the crew freed to rejoin its mate.

In the finale "All Good Things...", who commands the USS Pasteur in the future timeline?

The two-parter aired on May 23, 1994, and drew more than 30 million viewers, ranking second for the week between Home Improvement and Seinfeld.

Which retired admiral, played by Jean Simmons, runs a witch hunt in "The Drumhead"?

The episode is named for a drumhead court-martial, one held hastily on the battlefield.

What name does Geordi give the injured Borg drone who had called himself Third of Five?

Jonathan Del Arco's drone returned in the two-parter "Descent" and, decades later, in Star Trek: Picard.

Which Original Series engineer is found alive inside a transporter buffer, 75 years on, in "Relics"?

Scotty is dismayed to find Ten Forward serves only synthehol, until Data pours him something green from Guinan's private stock.

Which Vulcan ambassador does Picard search for on Romulus in the two-part episode "Unification"?

Leonard Nimoy's return drew more than 25 million viewers, and the first part opened with a dedication to the recently deceased Gene Roddenberry.

Which shy, holodeck-addicted engineer played by Dwight Schultz was introduced in "Hollow Pursuits"?

The script came from a University of Rochester professor, Sarah Higley, who wanted a story about the less exceptional members of the crew.

Which Bajoran officer, played by Michelle Forbes, was originally meant to lead Deep Space Nine?

Forbes turned the spin-off down, so Kira Nerys was created in Ro's place.

Diana Muldaur replaced Gates McFadden for season two as which ship's doctor?

Muldaur had guest-starred twice on the original series and never got opening-credit billing on TNG, appearing only as a special guest star.

Which season two episode is the only clip show TNG ever filmed, made to cover a budget shortfall?

Riker is poisoned by a thorn on Surata IV and the doctor triggers his memories, which is a thin excuse to replay old footage.

Which recurring nemesis had their first appearance in the season one episode "The Last Outpost"?

They were meant to be the show's new villains but came across as comic, and the Borg took over the job in season two.

Roddenberry named Geordi La Forge in honour of whom?

George La Forge had already been honoured with a namesake character in David Gerrold's 1980 novel The Galactic Whirlpool.

Why did Riker have a beard from season two onwards?

Roddenberry thought the beard made Riker look more nautical, and fans took to it because season two was such an improvement on season one.

Riker's transporter duplicate, discovered on Nervala IV, went by which first name?

Thomas Riker later stole the Defiant on Deep Space Nine and joined the Maquis.

Deanna Troi's mother Lwaxana was played by which actress, who was married to Gene Roddenberry?

Barrett also voiced the ship's computer across the franchise and played Nurse Chapel on the original series.

Which Betazoid word do Riker and Troi use for each other, meaning roughly soulmate?

Peter David's novel Imzadi filled in the couple's pre-series romance on Betazed.

Which Colm Meaney character was Star Trek's only regular non-commissioned officer?

O'Brien had a few lines in the pilot, was not even named until season two, and became a lead on Deep Space Nine.

How much did an original Enterprise-D filming model sell for at Christie's in 2006?

The buyer was Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, who put it on display in his Seattle museum.

Which Enterprise-D designer based the ship on a 'what if?' painting made after his Motion Picture Enterprise redesign?

Story editor David Gerrold took the painting to a producers' meeting without telling him, and it became the basis for the new ship.

Roughly how much did each episode of The Next Generation cost to make?

Paramount gave the show to stations for free in barter syndication and made its money by selling seven minutes of national ad time per episode.

Which 1994 film brought the TNG crew to the big screen and destroyed the Enterprise-D on Veridian III?

Kirk dies in the film helping Picard stop Soran, and Data finally installs his emotion chip.

Which Klingon sisters of the House of Duras cripple the Enterprise-D in the 1994 film?

They learnt the ship's shield frequency through a transmitter planted in Geordi's VISOR.

Which Klingon does Picard help install as Chancellor in "Redemption", the show's 100th episode?

Robert O'Reilly's wide-eyed Gowron survived until the final season of Deep Space Nine, when Worf killed him.

Which two writers turned "Yesterday's Enterprise" from a merged story idea into a shooting script for sweeps?

Their draft merged two pitches, one about the Enterprise-C and one bringing Denise Crosby back, and was rewritten to give Guinan a bigger role.

Who designed the 1993 Williams pinball based on the show, promising Paramount never to violate the Prime Directive?

It was part of the SuperPin widebody series alongside The Twilight Zone, and Ritchie had originally planned a game based on Under Siege.

How many Emmy Awards did The Next Generation win over its run?

It also won two Hugo Awards, a Peabody and six Saturn Awards.

Roughly how many viewers watched the 1994 series finale of The Next Generation?

It ranked second that week, between Home Improvement and Seinfeld.

Which first-season episode won a Peabody Award, the only Star Trek episode to do so?

It was also the first syndicated programme to win a Peabody.

Which two producers were commissioned to create Deep Space Nine after TNG's success?

Berman oversaw production overall; Piller ran the writing room.

Which physicist played holodeck poker with Data in the season six finale 'Descent'?

Data also played holographic versions of Newton and Einstein.

Roddenberry named Picard after which pair of Swiss scientist brothers?

Patrick Stewart was initially considered for the role of Data.

Which producer spotted Patrick Stewart at a UCLA Shakespeare lecture and pushed for him?

Roddenberry originally did not want a bald British actor.

Which Picard family member runs the vineyards in La Barre, France?

Picard was born in La Barre on July 13, 2305, in the show's chronology.

Which Forbidden Planet character did Brent Spiner use as a model for playing Data?

Spiner saw Data as a Chaplinesque tragic clown.

Which actor has made the most on-screen Star Trek appearances, 283, playing Worf?

Worf was not originally intended to be a regular character.

How many auditions did Jonathan Frakes attend before being cast as Riker?

The process stretched over six weeks up to the Paramount vice-president.

Which ship does Riker take command of at the end of Star Trek: Nemesis?

He is the husband of Deanna Troi.

Deanna Troi's father Ian Andrew Troi was what?

Her mother is Betazoid ambassador Lwaxana Troi.

Which play made the future Dr. Crusher actress reluctant to accept the role?

Anne Twomey and Jenny Agutter were also considered.

What position did Geordi La Forge hold in season one before becoming chief engineer?

LeVar Burton had auditioned for the role in 1986 after appearing in Roots.

Which alien tells Picard that Wesley Crusher has great potential?

Wesley's father Jack was killed under Picard's command.

Which Star Wars character partly inspired Guinan?

She first appears in the season two opener The Child.

Which original-series character inspired Guinan's actress to go into acting?

She saw a vacancy after Denise Crosby left and asked to join.

Which race was originally intended as TNG's new main enemy before the Borg?

Their comical appearance failed to make them a convincing threat.

What do the Borg inject to begin assimilating a being into a drone?

Their ultimate goal is achieving perfection.

How many years after the original series is The Next Generation set?

A March 1987 writers' manual fixed the gap and a crew complement of 1,012.

Which effects house built the Enterprise-D filming miniatures for the pilot?

Two models cost $75,000; the six-foot one could separate its saucer.

Whose original 1960s Enterprise design did Andrew Probert update for the Enterprise-D?

The saucer was enlarged and the nacelles shifted lower.

Which two writers are credited on the pilot 'Encounter at Farpoint'?

Corey Allen directed the two-hour TV movie.

Which people offer Farpoint Station to the Federation in the pilot?

Q scrutinises the crew throughout.

Which character says the phrase that gives the finale 'All Good Things...' its title?

It aired May 23, 1994, as episodes 177 and 178.

Which actor played Captain Jellico in 'Chain of Command'?

The two-parter is often ranked among the ten best TNG episodes.

Which Psycho screenwriter wrote the story premise for 'Skin of Evil'?

Hannah Louise Shearer rewrote his teleplay.

Which fantasy novelist wrote the teleplay for the episode 'Sarek'?

Mark Lenard reprised Spock's father, suffering from Bendii syndrome.

Which 1966 original-series episode gets a season one sequel about lost inhibitions?

D. C. Fontana wrote it under the pseudonym J. Michael Bingham.

Which actor plays Worf's brother Kurn, first seen in 'Sins of the Father'?

Kurn last appeared in the DS9 episode Sons of Mogh.

In 'Reunion', Picard is asked to arbitrate the succession between Gowron and which rival?

Chancellor K'mpec reveals he has been poisoned.

Which actress plays the Klingon ambassador K'Ehleyr?

She was mother of Worf's son Alexander.

Which actor plays the injured Borg drone in 'I, Borg'?

The episode was directed by the show's film editor Robert Lederman.

Which actress in the main cast directed 'Genesis', her only directing credit?

The crew de-evolves into spiders, amphibians and cave men.

Which actor plays Admiral Pressman, Riker's former captain, in 'The Pegasus'?

The Pegasus carried an illegal Federation cloaking device.

Which androgynous race does Riker's love interest Soren belong to in 'The Outcast'?

The species finds gender specificity unacceptable.

Which character had Michelle Forbes played before being cast as Ro Laren?

Ro was meant to replace Wesley Crusher at the conn.

Which Shakespeare play is Data performing as 'The Defector' opens?

A Romulan scout ship then flees through the Neutral Zone.

Which planet's moon is falling from orbit when a powerless Q appears in 'Deja Q'?

Q arrives on the bridge naked, stripped of his powers.

Which recurring alien species was introduced in the episode 'The Wounded'?

Captain Maxwell, O'Brien's old commander, attacks their vessels.

Which baby is born in Ten-Forward, delivered by Worf, in the episode 'Disaster'?

Troi commands from the bridge in the same episode.

Which actor plays Academy groundskeeper Boothby, first seen in 'The First Duty'?

Wesley Crusher returns in the episode after a training accident.

Whose son made his directorial debut with the episode 'Rascals'?

Picard and three others are turned into 12-year-olds.

Which Tom Stoppard play influenced the Riker episode 'Frame of Mind'?

Cast members had recently performed it.

Whose severed head is found buried in 19th-century San Francisco in 'Time's Arrow'?

Part two won an Emmy for hairstyling.

In 'Sub Rosa', Beverly Crusher attends whose funeral on Caldos IV?

She is romanced by her grandmother's non-corporeal lover.

Which episode was the first written by Ronald D. Moore?

Moore went on to write the award-winning finale.

Why was 'The High Ground' initially not broadcast in the UK and Ireland?

A crew member is taken hostage by terrorists in the episode.

On which resort planet does Picard meet Vash in 'Captain's Holiday'?

Jennifer Hetrick plays the ethically dubious archaeologist.

Which co-star helped get Dwight Schultz cast as Barclay?

Schultz was initially disappointed not to play an alien.

The episode 'Tin Man' was based on a 1979 novel of what title?

Both draw their name from L. Frank Baum's Oz character.

'Devil's Due' was adapted from a script written for which unmade series?

Marta DuBois plays Ardra, a mythological entity from Ventax II.

Which episode marked Patrick Stewart's directorial debut?

Data pursues a romance with shipmate Jenna D'Sora.

Which symbiotic species does Beverly Crusher's lover Odan belong to in 'The Host'?

Riker volunteers as a temporary host.

Which two Emmys did the Lwaxana episode 'Cost of Living' win?

Lwaxana takes Worf's son Alexander under her wing.

Which physicist's hypothetical megastructure features in 'Relics'?

A Dyson sphere surrounds the star where Scotty is found.

Which Sergio Leone film title does the season six Data-Western holodeck episode parody?

Worf, Alexander and Troi are trapped in a holodeck Western.

Which future Voyager actor made an early appearance as a thief in 'Starship Mine'?

Patricia Tallman of Babylon 5 also appears.

Which four powers race to solve an ancient genetic puzzle in 'The Chase'?

Star Trek: Discovery later revisited the Progenitors plot.

Which astronaut, the first Black woman in space, cameoed in 'Second Chances'?

LeVar Burton directed the episode.

Which NBA star guest-starred in the two-part episode 'Gambit'?

The crew hunt smugglers after hearing Picard has been murdered.

Which future film star played a young alien in 'Dark Page', Lwaxana's last episode?

Lwaxana is teaching the Cairn, a telepathic race, to speak.

Which DaiMon wants revenge on Picard by killing his supposed son in 'Bloodlines'?

Bok's son died fighting the Stargazer under Picard.

Which train bursts through Data's Shakespeare holodeck set in 'Emergence'?

Data was rehearsing The Tempest.

Which actor plays warp pioneer Zefram Cochrane in First Contact?

His warp ship Phoenix launches from Bozeman, Montana, in 2063.

In Insurrection, which species conspires with Starfleet to steal the Ba'ku planet?

Early drafts of the story used the Romulans instead.

Who directed Star Trek: Nemesis?

Shinzon, a Picard clone, seizes power over the Romulan Star Empire.

Star Trek: Picard premiered in January 2020 on which streaming service?

It was later rebranded Paramount+.

Which 1986 casting-call character, inspired by Vasquez in Aliens, became Tasha Yar?

Yar was killed in Skin of Evil at Denise Crosby's request.

The TNG theme paired the original fanfare with Jerry Goldsmith's theme from which film?

Some early episode plots also came from outlines written for the unmade Star Trek: Phase II series.

The flute prop from 'The Inner Light' sold at a 2006 auction for over how much?

The auctioneers admitted they had badly underestimated the appeal of the prop from one of the show's most beloved episodes.

Which first-season episode won the Emmy for Outstanding Achievement in Makeup for a Series?

That same year '11001001' took the sound editing Emmy and 'The Big Goodbye' won for costume design.

Remastering the series in HD from its 35mm negatives cost Paramount over how much?

Nearly 25,000 reels of film were rescanned, and the project's losses convinced Paramount not to give Deep Space Nine or Voyager the same treatment.

Under what label was the 2012 sampler Blu-ray of three remastered episodes released?

The disc carried 'Encounter at Farpoint', 'Sins of the Father' and 'The Inner Light' ahead of the full season sets.