TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire"

Dantheman · August 29 2012, 01:50 AM

Who else remembers seeing this commercial for TNG with altered lyrics to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire", now called something like "We Didn't Start The Series"? I think it was made by Paramount to promote TNG now being on weekdays, because I remember seeing this commercial in the early '90s when TNG was on five days a week, Monday thru Friday.

And no, I'm making this up, I honestly remember this being a real thing.

billcosby · August 29 2012, 02:35 AM

OMG that sounds awful...
It must have been a local station... I can't imagine Paramount doing that. I remember all kinds of cheesy station-made promos back in the 1990s!

tomswift2002 · August 29 2012, 02:48 AM

I remember CHRO (now CTV2 Ottawa) playing that commercial. Of course they aired two versions over the years, but the last one (aired circa 1997), while the same as the earlier one (circa 1993) had ugly squeezed graphics inserted in it saying the time it aired. But the 1993 version I watch every Christmas, since I've got it on a recording of a Christmas show from December 1993, and one thing I really remember is when Picard is turning on the view screen (shot from Farpoint when Picard asks what the Hood's response was) it goes to a mid80's looking CGI planet with the CHRO logo on it, and then there was the pad at the end where CHRO inserted there own music and graphics over the CU of the ship from the opening credits going to warp, and their music makes the warp sound interesting (it ends right as the ship creates the flash).

I even remember that over a decade later a few of us at work heard Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" on the radio and started talking about this spot. It would be nice if the put this spot on a Blu-Ray.

I also remember that clips were taken from Season One episodes like Farpoint upto Seaon 3 shots (Data running into Fargo's force field and being thrown across the room in Most Toys)

trekker670 · August 29 2012, 03:23 AM

You mean this one:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/g_9eGjZoYoc

Kirk1980 · August 29 2012, 07:53 AM

Oh, the pain, the pain....

SonicRanger · August 29 2012, 11:37 AM

Love it.

Scotty · August 29 2012, 12:30 PM

Kirk1980 wrote:

Oh, the pain, the pain....

Why so serious?

tomswift2002 · August 30 2012, 10:26 AM

Not even close.

CorporalCaptain · August 30 2012, 10:58 AM

That's awful.

22 Stars · August 31 2012, 04:08 PM

I have been looking for a TNG promo commercial that aired, showing great explorers through history, Vikings, Apollo Astronauts etc, and ending with the TNG cast shot. Anyone have that on Youtube, I haven't found it yet.

CorporalCaptain · August 31 2012, 04:17 PM

22 Stars wrote:

I have been looking for a TNG promo commercial that aired, showing great explorers through history, Vikings, Apollo Astronauts etc, and ending with the TNG cast shot. Anyone have that on Youtube, I haven't found it yet.

Easily Googled.

doubleohfive · August 31 2012, 04:34 PM

I've never seen this one, but it's obviously something the local Fox affiliate put together to advertise TNG reruns in syndication.

I remember there being one for TNG (can't seem to find it on YouTube), basically clips from the show cut to The Who's "My Generation," which was (if I remember correctly) much better.

That, and I remember the "Everybody Needs a Little Space" promo for DS9:

tomswift2002 · August 31 2012, 11:13 PM

I've had the lyrics for the commercial in the original post in my mind all day. They are

Jean-luc
Geordi's specs
Mysteries on the hole deck
Asteroids
Triple-droids
Telepathic Betazoids
Counsellor Troi
Dr. Crusher's little boy
Klingon rites
Phaser fights
Transporter
Deadly claws
Visitor from L.A Law
Data's head
Tasha's dead
Riker's hanging by a thread
Celebration
Transformation
Everyone to battle stations!

We didn't start the series. It's the Next generation on your favorite station! (repeat this line about three times before fading out audio for station VO and audio).

Maurice · August 31 2012, 11:41 PM

^^^Rotten rhyming!

tomswift2002 · September 1 2012, 12:58 AM

I think I got the Counsellor Troi to Phaser Fights section in the wrong area. I'll have too dig out the DVD and watch it again.

August 29 2012, 01:50 AM	#1
Dantheman Lieutenant Commander Location: Michigan USA	TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" Who else remembers seeing this commercial for TNG with altered lyrics to Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire", now called something like "We Didn't Start The Series"? I think it was made by Paramount to promote TNG now being on weekdays, because I remember seeing this commercial in the early '90s when TNG was on five days a week, Monday thru Friday. And no, I'm making this up, I honestly remember this being a real thing.

August 29 2012, 02:35 AM	#2
billcosby Commodore Location: billcosby	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" OMG that sounds awful... It must have been a local station... I can't imagine Paramount doing that. I remember all kinds of cheesy station-made promos back in the 1990s! __________________ My 1st Edition TrekCCG virtual expansion: http://billcosbytrekccg.blogspot.com/

August 29 2012, 02:48 AM	#3
tomswift2002 Captain	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" I remember CHRO (now CTV2 Ottawa) playing that commercial. Of course they aired two versions over the years, but the last one (aired circa 1997), while the same as the earlier one (circa 1993) had ugly squeezed graphics inserted in it saying the time it aired. But the 1993 version I watch every Christmas, since I've got it on a recording of a Christmas show from December 1993, and one thing I really remember is when Picard is turning on the view screen (shot from Farpoint when Picard asks what the Hood's response was) it goes to a mid80's looking CGI planet with the CHRO logo on it, and then there was the pad at the end where CHRO inserted there own music and graphics over the CU of the ship from the opening credits going to warp, and their music makes the warp sound interesting (it ends right as the ship creates the flash). I even remember that over a decade later a few of us at work heard Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" on the radio and started talking about this spot. It would be nice if the put this spot on a Blu-Ray. I also remember that clips were taken from Season One episodes like Farpoint upto Seaon 3 shots (Data running into Fargo's force field and being thrown across the room in Most Toys)

August 29 2012, 03:23 AM	#4
trekker670 Commander	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" You mean this one: http://www.youtube.com/embed/g_9eGjZoYoc

August 29 2012, 07:53 AM	#5
Kirk1980 Fleet Captain Location: Connecticut	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" Oh, the pain, the pain.... __________________ Live in the Connecticut/SW Massachusetts area? Need a tutor for you or your kids? PM me! Let's see what's out there...

STAR TREK

CSI

ABOUT US

August 29 2012, 11:37 AM	#6
SonicRanger Rear Admiral Location: Sheffield, England	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" Love it. __________________ "STAR TREK is... Action - Adventure - Science Fiction." -- Gene Roddenberry, 1964, top of the first page of his original pitch and outline for Star Trek

August 30 2012, 10:26 AM	#8
tomswift2002 Captain	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" Not even close.

August 30 2012, 10:58 AM	#9
CorporalCaptain Vice Admiral Location: In pre-production	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" That's awful. __________________ John

August 31 2012, 04:08 PM	#10
22 Stars Commodore	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" I have been looking for a TNG promo commercial that aired, showing great explorers through history, Vikings, Apollo Astronauts etc, and ending with the TNG cast shot. Anyone have that on Youtube, I haven't found it yet.

August 31 2012, 04:34 PM	#12
doubleohfive Fleet Admiral Location: Los Angeles, CA	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" I've never seen this one, but it's obviously something the local Fox affiliate put together to advertise TNG reruns in syndication. I remember there being one for TNG (can't seem to find it on YouTube), basically clips from the show cut to The Who's "My Generation," which was (if I remember correctly) much better. That, and I remember the "Everybody Needs a Little Space" promo for DS9: __________________ "I have never made but one prayer to God, a very short one: "O Lord make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it." -Voltaire

August 31 2012, 11:13 PM	#13
tomswift2002 Captain	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" I've had the lyrics for the commercial in the original post in my mind all day. They are Jean-luc Geordi's specs Mysteries on the hole deck Asteroids Triple-droids Telepathic Betazoids Counsellor Troi Dr. Crusher's little boy Klingon rites Phaser fights Transporter Deadly claws Visitor from L.A Law Data's head Tasha's dead Riker's hanging by a thread Celebration Transformation Everyone to battle stations! We didn't start the series. It's the Next generation on your favorite station! (repeat this line about three times before fading out audio for station VO and audio).

August 31 2012, 11:41 PM	#14
Maurice Rear Admiral Location: Maurice in San Francisco	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" ^^^Rotten rhyming! __________________ * * * "Star Trek…at times sparkled with true ingenuity, and pure science fiction approaches, and at other times was more carnival like, and very much more the creature of television than the creature of a legitimate literary form." —Rod Serling, 1970"

September 1 2012, 12:58 AM	#15
tomswift2002 Captain	Re: TNG Commerical with Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start The Fire" I think I got the Counsellor Troi to Phaser Fights section in the wrong area. I'll have too dig out the DVD and watch it again.