The Next Generation Is Star Trek’s Most Binge-Worthy Show, But Only If You Follow 1 Rule

Star Trek: The Next Generation makes for the right binge-watch, however not all the seasons are created equal. With its sequence premiere in 1987, Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology launched the world to a completely new Enterprise crew led by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). Properly earlier than binge-worthy tv grew to become the norm, TNG was one of many most-watched tv reveals of its time. Over the course of TNG’s seven seasons, the crew members of the USS Enterprise-D grew to become simply as beloved as Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and his crew had been.

The panorama of contemporary tv is considerably totally different than it was within the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties, with way more emphasis on serialized storytelling. Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology instructed principally episodic tales, restoring the established order by the top of virtually each episode. Regardless of this, the present lends itself to binge-watching thanks to 1 main ingredient — the characters. From Lt. Commander Data’s (Brent Spiner) quest to be human to Q’s (John de Lancie) frequent visits to the Enterprise, a lot of TNG’s characters had plotlines that spanned all seven seasons of the present.

The Subsequent Technology Is The Finest Star Trek Present For Binge-Watching

TNG Has Some Of Star Trek’s Most Beloved & Celebrated Episodes

Whereas Star Trek’s modern shows on Paramount+ might inform extra serialized tales than Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology, they nonetheless launch their episodes weekly. This enables followers to invest and theorize in between episodes and builds anticipation for every week’s new story. TNG initially adopted this mannequin, however can now be loved suddenly. Binging TNG permits viewers to see the small methods the characters develop all through the sequence and the methods some later storylines mirror again on earlier ones. Plus, trendy viewers shouldn’t have to attend months after the season-ending cliffhanger to see the conclusion.

With distinctive storylines, robust performances, and Star Trek’s attribute optimism, Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology is the right present to binge-watch as a brand new yr begins. Iconic episodes like “Yesterday’s Enterprise” and “The Better of Each Worlds” stay a few of Star Trek’s best hours, however Captain Picard and his Enterprise crew make even TNG’s extra mediocre episodes compelling. Nonetheless, TNG struggled to seek out its footing in its first two seasons, as writers got here and went with stunning regularity and the characters had but to be absolutely established.

Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology Is Solely Value Binging If You Begin On Season 3

Apart From A Handful Of Early Episodes, Season 3 Is When TNG Turns into Nice

Whereas there are a handful of episodes all through Star Trek: The Next Generation seasons 1 and a pair of which are price watching, the actually binge-worthy tv doesn’t start till season 3. By this level within the present, TNG had principally discovered its footing and constantly delivered stable episodes with robust storylines. All the foremost characters had been established and had discovered their locations among the many crew of the Enterprise-D. From Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) because the Chief Medical Officer to Lt. Commander Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) because the Chief Engineer, TNG season 3 makes the most effective use of its Enterprise crew.

Not solely did TNG’s writers and producers have a greater grasp of what they wished the present to be by season 3, however the actors additionally had a greater grasp of their characters. With the characters and their dynamics established, TNG had extra freedom to mess around with style and totally different sorts of storytelling. Whereas TNG was not good from season 3 via season 7, it in the end delivered a number of the greatest science fiction tv of all time. With its forged of extremely compelling characters and fascinating storylines, Star Trek: The Subsequent Technology stays good for contemporary binge-watching.

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Launch Date

September 28, 1987

Finale 12 months

November 30, 1993

Seasons

7

Showrunner

Gene Roddenberry