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Science Fiction Gallery:  Star Trek The Next Generation
and 



Other Spinoffs of Star Trek The Series













Star Trek: The Next Generation brought the Star Trek
saga back to television some twenty years after the original series
ended. The driving force behind the new series, Gene Roddenberry, has
an extremely difficult time
getting the major networks to allow him the free rein and funding he
needed put
the new series on the air. He finally worked a deal with a group of
independent stations thorughout the U.S., which later became the basis
for a new network,
UPN. With Paramounts excellent help in gathering a cast, the new series brought back Star Trek to prime time television.


The new series features a crew of the new NCC1701D, the fourth in the line of
Enterprises, nearly a century after the original crew left on their five year mission.
The new crew led by Captain Jean Luc Picard,
enjoys the luxury of an emmense ship, which offers a unique situation
for a Star Fleet vessel, the crew's families
are aboard.
The ship also features a holographic suite which has extremely lifelike
reproduction capabilities. In fact we see at least one crew member who
is virtually addicted to the holodeck. No, not Lt. Barcley, I am
referring to Capt. Picard. His addiction is only
slightly overriden by his marriage to his ship however, and he
frequently leaves
his role as the fictional Dixon Hill, to return to the mundane duties
of being
the starship Captain on the fleets flagship. Whew that is a lot to
take, even
for a starfleet Captain!


Aside from those differences (save a few minor adjustments attributed to enlightenment 
in the area of sexism), the series moves along very much like the original.  

Unique, however, is the introduction starting with the pilot, of
a rather nasty
omni-powerful being representing the Q Continuim, called Q for short.
This rather pesky fellow constantly badgers the crew throughout the
series, with Picard constantly able to foil Qs plans, or at least until
the final episode. It should be noted that with the powerful figure
protrayed by Patrick Stewart, only an omnipotent character such as Q
could be an adequate foil to Picard. Even Picard's later encounter with
the Borg (an event precipitated by Q's interference, thank you very
much), it is clear that Picard has the luck, will, and leadership to
conquer
just about any standard Star Trek villians thrown at him.

Other important crew member is Commander Riker, a Captain
"wanna-be" (by the second season we discover he is turning down the
Captain's chair a little too
often). Also on board is Counselor Troi, a betazoid emotional empath
(reads
emotions, not minds), and Lt. Data, a one-of-a-kind android very close
to being human (later, we see Data prove he is a lifeform, thus
entitled NOT to be treated as
property). 

Joining Data are his close friends Worf, Klingnon raised by humans, who
is the ship's Security Officer, and Geordi, an engineer who wearS A
special visor to compensate for being
born seeing-impaired.


An awesome touch of creativity is the introduction of Worf into the follow on
series, Deep Space Nine.


As an occasional diversion and later as a more fully integrated crew member, there is
Dr. Beverley Crusher, a beautiful, intelligent, sensitive, widow who happens to 
also be the ship's Doctor.  Wow!  And of course they picked a total knockout for the role.

A listing of the programs for the first five seasons of STNG is available.






DS9




The DS9 series involved a Deep Space border station out by the
Bajoran homeworld.  Nearby are the Cardassians who recently had
possession of DS9, when the Bajorans violently took over the station
and then asked to join the Federation with the station as a chip in the
negotiations. Not long afterward, a wormhole appears and suddenly DS9
is valuable as an explorators jumping off point into another quadrant
(The Delta Quadrant).




Commander/Captain Sisco (Avery Brooks of Hawke fame) is the leader
of the Federation forces on station, with Major Kera Nerys as the
Bajaron liaison to the station.  Also we have shape shifting
security officer named Odo, Sicso's son Jake, the Tril Dax (a humanoid
body with a slug inside), Bashir, a genetically engineered Doctor of
Indian (as in India) ancestory, Chief Miles O'Brien from the Enterprise
and briefly, Worf, the Security Officer also from Enterprise. 
Quark, the Ferengi barkeep, keeps the humor alive as well as Garrick,
the Cardassian tailor of all things.  We can't forget the
unforgettable Gul Dul'kat, a high ranking officer who lost the station
to the Bajorans, our delightly sinister fellow.




Later we meet Odo's race, called the Founders, and the Gem'Jadar, a
reptilian race subjugated by the Founders, and a meek humanoid race who
also does their bidding.






Voyager




Captain Kathryn Janeway, Vulcan Executive Officer Tuvok, and Ensign
Kim are forcefully joined with Marquis rebels when a space derelict
they are exploring sucks them into the Gamma Quardrant. The journey
home will take 70+ years give or take, and the crew must work out their
differences, living strategies and generally survive.  
Janeway stand for the prime directive and setting an example of human
existence to the quadrant as the ship and crew make their way home.




Note there is some adjustments necessary as Marquis officers are
integrated into the crew, i.e. Cha'cote becomes the Executive Officer
making Tuvok the Security Officer, Lieutenant Tom Parris becomes the
primary shift pilot, Balanna Torres who is half Klingon and half human
who becomes the Engineering Commander.  




The encounter several key species which include the Borg, Species
274?, and others.  The Voyager is a high speed ship, smaller than
the typical starship and is able to land on planets.  It has all
the usual features, though, with shutttlecraft a high speed interceptor
(unique), and shuttlebay, turbolifts, warp nacelles, inertial dampers,
and all that.




After all is said and done (like our trite phrase!) it is just more
of the same Star Trek its fans have grown used to, with few if any new
twists.







Enterprise




The latest in the Star Trek Universe is a prequel to the Classic
series.  Captain Jonathan Archer (played by Scott Bakula of Quantum Leap and the reprise made for TV film Invaders)
commanding the NX-01, the first Enterprise as it goes on its maiden
voyage of exploration (thus the X).  On board are T'pol, a vulcan
science officer who becomes his Executive Officer,  Commander
Charles "Trip" Tucker III Engineering Officer, Lieutenant Malcom Reed
the Weapons and Security officer, and Ensign Mayweather, helmsman, and
Ensign Soto the COMs officer.




The series begins by showcasing the political conflict between
Vulcans and Terrans due to the Vulcan's resistance to allowing Terrans
advanced technology becuase the beleive the race is to immature and
reckless.  Archer and the ship's crew must first prove the ship is
ready and then that they can comport themselves in a manner which will
show the Vulcans they are the equal to the task of exploration as well
as to the Vulcans themselves. 




In the third season the show turns nasty as Archer and crew must
head out to the Expanse and rid themselves of the attackers who killed
7 million in Florida, including Trip's sister.




Archer's personality turns ugly and he becomes obsesesed with
stopping the Xindi a five race hegomony all related to a region of
space now long gone.















The Films


To Star Trek fans around the world, a new series of films have reached the big
screen, allowing us to continue to watch the future unfold.  A brief summary
follows:






  
Data is nearly human, but lacking in self control, as the
Enterprise D faces alien bad guys and the movie is so forgettable we
can't remember.  Data wigs out in the shuttlecraft and Picard
brings him out of it by singing a song from an old british melody (ala
Gilbert and Sullivan).  Wow!  The movie is based upon the
concept of Data running amok amonst villagers on some far off planet
and a new tecno'babble metaphasic energy, which is determined to be
responsible for screwing up his positronic relays.  The people
haven't aged for over three centureis due to this radiation and thus
the interest of the Federation.

  






  
The Romulans clone Picard and ship the clone out to a
mining colony with hopes he will go away, but there are clues leading
Picard to find this young man who sneeks up on them in a cloaked
ship.  The confrontation takes little time for Picard to figure
out the young man is quite malicious and the battles begin.  Datas
human transformation is almost complete as he draws angst from his
angst.