What this show did for Trek-lore is terrific. It gave us an intimate view into the Klingons, into the Federation, gave Trek the general 24th Century “look” that would remain until the end of Voyager, and it began what would be 18 continuous years of Star Trek production on television.
Without TNG, we wouldn’t have DS9, Voyager, or Enterprise. The original series made it a pop culture phenomenon, but this is the show that made Star Trek a television institution.
As an adult I can see that there are some truly wonderful stories, some insanely bad ones, and many a classic. I don’t think Star Trek fans could have asked for a better cast to keep Trek afloat after the original giants.
Again, that original cast may have created Star Trek, but it was this cast made it what it is today. That’s the legacy of TNG.
NEXT TIME: The Space Station