Murder of TNG?

[MacLeod]

TNG had run it's course by the end of the 7th year it was no where near the heights of S3-5. In contrast DSN which to be clear is ST (the OP might not like it, but that doesn't mean it's not ST) managed to maintaina higher standard of episodes in it's last year. That isn't to say it didn't have weaker episodes in that year, it's just that comparing S7 of both shows I would have to give DSN the award for being most consistant in terms of quality.

^and I agree Stewart played the role of Professor X well, with the material he had to work with.

What helped DS9 was them switching over to story-arcs. Look at the first couple of seasons, where it was more or less TNG on a space-station, once they had a defined goal and story that was all DS9's alone the show got better.

Oh I agree, though I think arc based shows such as DSN and B5 came out a couple of years too early for when that sort of stroy telling became popular.

Perhaps after 15 or so years with arc based shows being more popular we are moving back to a period where more episodic shows are prefered. Like with many things it's striking the balance between the two.

 

[Gary7]

What parallel universe are you posting from....

This thread has to win the much-coveted "Most Dramatic Title of the Year" award.

Have ya watched the seventh season? Puttin' an end to televised TNG was a mercy killin'!

If they only wanted to kill TOS and TNG, why did the others also last "only" 7 years?

The claims by the OP are rather incendiary and suggest they are emotional distraught over a favorite series, rather than able to make an objective observation.

TNG finished when it was time, perhaps a good 10 episodes late. Nevertheless, there were a few gems in the final season. It was great for its time, but it was eclipsed by a more intellectually challenging DS9 that followed. It was good while it was, continuing it would have polluted the legacy.

 

[Anji]

I don't think it has ever been known what the true reason for the cancellation of the series was. We will have to wait for the biographies of the cast members to come out...and then I would take that with a grain of salt.

My personal opinion, and this is strictly my opinion, Roddenberry died in 1991. He was the guiding force of the series, even through his illness. I know that if I was on the series and he passed I would leave. Berman and Pillar would not provide me with enough inspiration to go into work and do my job...especially with the crap they were writing.

I would've finished up my contract and left. Star Trek would no longer be special. I don't care how much money you gave me.

 

[Trekker4747]

I don't think it has ever been known what the true reason for the cancellation of the series was.

The show wasn't canceled. A show is canceled when it stops being profitable for those producing and broadcasting it and it's just stopped with little to no closure.

TNG ended. It went into the seventh seasons with the plan for it to end that year. The reasons why are well known and clear, they wanted to move on to movies. The Undiscovered Country had recently came out and closed off the TOS crew nicely and any future movies with them wasn't likely or even practical. They wanted to keep making Trek movies so TNG was to make the transition to film.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

The show wasn't canceled. A show is canceled when it stops being profitable for those producing and broadcasting it and it's just stopped with little to no closure.

TNG ended. It went into the seventh seasons with the plan for it to end that year. The reasons why are well known and clear, they wanted to move on to movies. The Undiscovered Country had recently came out and closed off the TOS crew nicely and any future movies with them wasn't likely or even practical. They wanted to keep making Trek movies so TNG was to make the transition to film.

But murder is such an exciting word.

 

[Trekker4747]

It's also worth pointing out TNG was still very popular when it ended and one of the most watched (if not THE most watched) first-run syndication fiction series on the air, TNG was very good at holding onto its audience. So had it not been for wanting to do movies TNG may well have continued on.

 

[sonak]

It's also worth pointing out TNG was still very popular when it ended and one of the most watched (if not THE most watched) first-run syndication fiction series on the air, TNG was very good at holding onto its audience. So had it not been for wanting to do movies TNG may well have continued on.

ratings-wise you're probably right. Regarding quality of the show though, I think we'd have seen a steep decline in a TNG season 8, 9, etc.

 

[Greg Cox]

There comes a point with every tv series where, from an accounting standpoint, the costs start to outweigh the advantages of producing new episodes, especially when you've already got more than enough episodes to rerun forever. There's nothing mysterious or suspicious here, just business as usual.

 

[wissaboo]

I was really pissed off when the ended tng to make movies. In fact, so pissed off I didn't watch much of the last season and never went to a tng movie in the theatre. I can understand that contracts were up and some people didn't want to do a series anymore, but why couldn't they just have brought in new characters? Why not promote some of these people who had been doing the same jobs for 7 long seasons? that would have revitalized the show and given some new material.

 

[MacLeod]

What annoys me as much as a show I enjoy being cancelled, it's a show dying a slow death as they just keep making new episodes. TNG peaked in S3-5.

 

[CaptainMatt]

Gah can you imagine if they were still making TNG after all these years? Coronation street in Space.

I actually have had recurring dreams where TNG was still on the air with new episodes.

 

[BillJ]

Gah can you imagine if they were still making TNG after all these years? Coronation street in Space.

I actually have had recurring dreams where TNG was still on the air with new episodes.

I actually dream about naked women.

 

[Dukhat]

My personal opinion, and this is strictly my opinion, Roddenberry died in 1991. He was the guiding force of the series, even through his illness. I know that if I was on the series and he passed I would leave. Berman and Pillar would not provide me with enough inspiration to go into work and do my job...especially with the crap they were writing.

Roddenberry was far more of an irritant than a guiding force by this point. If TNG were a network show, his "guiding force" would have most likely gotten the show cancelled after the first season. If that had happened, season 1 of TNG would have been nothing more than an amusing '80's add-on to the TOS syndication package, and that would have been it for 24th century Trek.

 

[Tina Lawton]

Roddenberry was far more of an irritant than a guiding force by this point.

True.

 

[Tom]

I don't think it has ever been known what the true reason for the cancellation of the series was.

The show wasn't canceled. A show is canceled when it stops being profitable for those producing and broadcasting it and it's just stopped with little to no closure.

TNG ended. It went into the seventh seasons with the plan for it to end that year. The reasons why are well known and clear, they wanted to move on to movies. The Undiscovered Country had recently came out and closed off the TOS crew nicely and any future movies with them wasn't likely or even practical. They wanted to keep making Trek movies so TNG was to make the transition to film.

This!

I watched every single episode back in the original run, it was must watch TV for me. In the pre-internet days read tons of magazines like Starlog to get the scoop on everything Star Trek, I was sad when it ended but all us fans at the time knew the reasons why, and we had DS9, The TNG cast going to be in a film and a replacement series (Voyager) planned, so while said 1994 was also very exciting as well.

 

[CaptainMatt]

I doubt Roddenberry's ongoing involvement with TNG would have harmed the series. I have never agreed with the fans who like to criticise Gene and his work in favor of what came after.

 

[Trekker4747]

Really I think the work between Gene, Rick and the writers produced a nice balance in S3 and S5/when Gene died. S6 has a noticeable drop in quality and the only thing I can link that too is whatever influence Gene had on Rick and everyone else was gone and Rick continued to put the old "generic" polish on the series and franchise.

 

[Nerys Myk]

I thought Stewart was perfect as Professor X. I just didn't like the way he was so easily taken out or neutralized by the bad guys.

Sure, I thought he made a good Professor X too, but I maintain that the idea that ANYTHING is as good as Star Trek (with the possible exception of Babylon 5) is laughable.

I can't help it. I'm just that partial to the Star Trek franchise.

I love Trek, its been my favorite since I was six, but there many things on TV that are better than Trek.

And Babylon 5 is not one of them.

 

[You_Will_Fail]

I don't really think its that inaccurate to say the show was cancelled. The studio decided to end the show, it wasn't the decision of the actors - ergo it was kinda cancelled.

 

[CaptainMatt]

Really I think the work between Gene, Rick and the writers produced a nice balance in S3 and S5/when Gene died. S6 has a noticeable drop in quality and the only thing I can link that too is whatever influence Gene had on Rick and everyone else was gone and Rick continued to put the old "generic" polish on the series and franchise.

Thank you!