Some details from Star Trek: The Next Generation's main characters, but it's clear many details weren't quite ironed out yet.
Like Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: The Next Generation told mostly standalone stories that wrapped up in one episode, and this is especially true during the show's first season. As the television landscape began to shift toward more serialized storytelling throughout the 1990s, TNG began incorporating more callbacks to earlier episodes. While many of the details established in Star Trek: The Next Generation's first season stuck, others changed over time as the show's producers figured out what worked and what didn't.
5 Counselor Troi Calls Commander Riker "Bill" Instead Of "Will"
Troi Calls Riker "Bill" On Two Separate Occasions
"Encounter at Farpoint" establishes that Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) were involved in a romantic relationship before Star Trek: The Next Generation, and they still have feelings for one another. Deanna refers to Riker as "Bill" on two separate occasions in TNG season 1, in episode 3, "The Naked Now" and episode 11, "Haven." After these two instances, no one ever calls Riker "Bill" again, instead referring to him as "Will."
In the non-canon very Short Treks episode 3, "Worst ," Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) refers to Riker as "Bill," as a shout-out to these early episodes of TNG.
According to Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion, Riker's original character description said that he was "privately called William by Picard and Bill by 'female friends.'" Interestingly, no one really calls Riker "William," either, and in TNG season 6, episode 10, "Chain of Command, Part I," he even states that he prefers "Will" over "William." It's possible "Bill" is meant to reference William Shatner, whose friends refer to him as "Bill," but the nickname simply didn't stick when it came to Riker.
4 The Holodeck Works Differently In Star Trek: TNG's Early Episodes
Water Leaves The Holodeck On Two Different Occasions In TNG Season 1
Star Trek: The Next Generation's premiere made a big deal about the holodeck as a new technology available on the USS Enterprise-D. When Commander Riker first searches for Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) on the holodeck, he is amazed by the recreation of an incredibly realistic forest. Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) soon s Riker and Data on the holodeck and accidentally falls into a river. When the three exit the holodeck, Wesley is still drenched head to toe from the river water.
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Star Trek: The Next Generation’s holodeck simulations were intended to help the crew relax, but the holodeck sometimes did more harm than good.
A few episodes later, in TNG episode 14, "Angel One," Wesley and a friend are having a snowball fight on the holodeck when Captain Picard opens the door and gets hit in the face with a snowball. In other instances, anything that leaves the holodeck dematerializes instantly. Although Star Trek has not always been consistent with how the holodeck works, scenes like this suggest that some simple items are replicated (like water), while other, more complex things (like humans), are holograms that cannot exist outside of the holodeck.
3 Counselor Troi's Empathic Powers Work Differently In Early Star Trek: TNG
Troi Projects Her Thoughts Into Riker's Mind
Many of Star Trek: The Next Generation's characters change after the show's premiere, but none more than Counselor Deanna Troi. As established in "Encounter at Farpoint," Troi is half Betazoid, meaning that she can sense the emotions of those around her. While Troi's empathic abilities would play a significant role throughout TNG, they work somewhat differently in the premiere than they do in later episodes.
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Counselor Deanna Troi served on the USS Enterprise throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation, four movies, and she returned in Star Trek: Picard.
For one thing, Troi communicates telepathically with Commander Riker, projecting her thoughts into his mind. Although Betazoids are later shown to be able to communicate with one another telepathically, Troi and Riker never communicate this way again. Troi also experiences all of the emotions she senses in "Encounter at Farpoint," whereas later, she can perceive the emotions of those around her without experiencing them herself.
2 Geordi La Forge's VISOR Causes Him Constant Pain
Both Dr. Crusher & Dr. Pulaski Offer Solutions For Geordi's Pain
Born blind, Lt. Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) wears a VISOR that allows him to see "much of the EM spectrum," and, according to a scene from "Encounter at Farpoint," it causes him constant pain. When Dr. Crusher examines La Forge, she asks about his VISOR and the pain it causes him, offering him painkillers or exploratory surgery. La Forge refuses both options, arguing that either one would affect how his VISOR works.
The idea for Geordi's character originated because Gene Roddenberry wanted to have a disabled crewmember aboard the USS Enterprise-D.
Although Geordi's VISOR proves useful on numerous occasions throughout TNG, the pain it causes him is rarely mentioned. In TNG season 2, episode 5, "Loud as a Whisper," Dr. Katherine Pulaski (Diane Muldaur) offers to replace Geordi's VISOR with ocular implants or perform surgery to regenerate his optic nerve, allowing him to see normally. She mentions that it would eliminate Geordi's pain, but he, again, elects to keep his VISOR. La Forge finally traded his VISOR for ocular implants in Star Trek: First .
1 Several Enterprise Officers Wear Skant Uniforms
The Skirted Starfleet Uniform Was Only Seen In A Handful Of Episodes
The Starfleet uniforms of Star Trek: The Next Generation remained relatively consistent throughout the show's run, but one type of uniform only appeared in a handful of episodes. While most officers wore a jumpsuit-style uniform in early TNG, a few sported a style of uniform that came to be known as a "skant." This short-sleeved dress was reminiscent of the mini-dresses worn by the women on Star Trek: The Original Series, but it was worn by both men and women in TNG.
Both Counselor Troi and Lt. Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) appear briefly in a skant uniform in "Encounter at Farpoint," but neither of them are seen in one after that point.
Both men and women can be seen wearing skants in the background of several early TNG episodes, as a way to illustrate the total equality that had been achieved by the 24th century. Thankfully, the producers soon realized that it made much more sense for most Starfleet officers to wear pants, and the skant was retired. From awkward uniform choices to odd characterizations, Star Trek: The Next Generation's earliest episodes have some interesting details that become more apparent on a rewatch.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
- Release Date
- 1987 - 1994-00-00
- Network
- Syndication
- Showrunner
- Gene Roddenberry
Cast
Jean-Luc Picard
Commander William T. Riker
WHERE TO WATCH
- Directors
- Cliff Bole, Les Landau, Winrich Kolbe, Rob Bowman, Robert Scheerer, LeVar Burton
- Writers
- René Echevarria, Maurice Hurley, Richard Manning, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Tracy Tormé, Hannah Louise Shearer, Stuart Charno, Ira Steven Behr, Sara B. Cooper, Peter Allan Fields, Herbert Wright, Frank Abatemarco, Burton Armus, Hilary Bader, Morgan Gendel, David Kemper, Michael I. Wagner, Philip LaZebnik, Robert McCullough, Susan Sackett, Nick Sagan, Fred Bronson, Robert Hewitt Wolfe, Sam Rolfe
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Creator(s)
- Gene Roddenberry
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