Happy Birthday, TNG...

[Farscape One]

Today marks the 33rd anniversary of the premiere of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION. (Or for those of us who remember the promos... STAAAAAAAAAAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION.)

It was pretty much the reason why I became a scifi fan. I had a passing familiarity with the original series, and seen a few other scifi things here and there. But that night... it was like magic.

From the opening shot of the Enterprise-D, it felt like a cool universe to visit. It had a great array of characters. And most of all... Data.

His character captured my imagination so completely, he instantly became my favorite character. His wonder at everything. His curiosity at all things human.

As an 8 year old, this show totally captured my mind and imagination. This crew was like having a group of friends I can visit anytime.

Even after 33 years and many, MANY rewatches, I still love the series. And watching the episodes now with my wife (who watched all of DS9 now), I see a few things I didn't catch before. (Which happened while watching DS9, as well.)

DS9 became my favorite series, but I never would have become a fan of STAR TREK, or scifi in general, without TNG as my gateway.

(I'm also very pleased that I have had the chance to meet ALL the leads.)

So Happy Birthday, TNG!

 

[WarpFactorZ]

Takes me back!

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[tomalak301]

I think TNG was the first sci fi show I ever saw, Saturday Nights at 8:00 PM. I always looked forward to the new episode and I loved the trailers with the announcer guy saying "Next Time, on Staaarrrr Trek: The Next Generation". TNG brings a lot of nostalgia for me growing up.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

And here's how it looked as the festivities began that night! (complete with "STAAAAAAAAR Trek" announcer guy!).

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[tomalak301]

And here's how it looked as the festivities began that night! (complete with "STAAAAAAAAR Trek" announcer guy!).

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Boy they basically told you the entire episode in that minute and a half clip.

 

[Vger23]

I remember this night like it was yesterday....including the trailer and "countdown to the 24th century" TV spots. In my area, it aired in syndication on Oct 3rd, which was a Thursday. Pretty damn exciting for a young fan in 7th grade who grew up LOVING TOS re-runs and the subsequent films.

I don't think TNG ever reached the status of TOS in my mind...but it undoubtedly ignited the torch for a whole new "generation" so to speak.

 

[WarpFactorZ]

I remember this night like it was yesterday....including the trailer and "countdown to the 24th century" TV spots. In my area, it aired in syndication on Oct 3rd, which was a Thursday. Pretty damn exciting for a young fan in 7th grade who grew up LOVING TOS re-runs and the subsequent films.

I don't think TNG ever reached the status of TOS in my mind...but it undoubtedly ignited the torch for a whole new "generation" so to speak.

It was also on Thursday where I lived. I was in high school and was PSYCHED for new Trek that didn't come every 2.5 years or in paperback. Recorded it on video tape as well! The best part was the same station aired "The Naked Now" the following Saturday morning (who knows why). So, three hours of TNG in as many days.

 

[arch101]

We didn’t get it in Albany, NY until 10/4. The same night as a huge snowstorm hit that area. No power for a week meant no rewatch of the taped Farpoint. That hurt.

 

[arch101]

Boy they basically told you the entire episode in that minute and a half clip.

I always thought that was a terrific promo, though. They were looking to pull in non-fans with that. It worked.