crew of the USS Enterprise-D. With stories recycled from Star Trek: The Original Series and cliches that were outdated even in the 1980s, many of TNG's early episodes fell flat. Thankfully, fans stuck with the show, and it went on to produce some truly great television.

As the first live-action Star Trek show since the end of Star Trek: The Original Series, many fans were weary of Star Trek: The Next Generation from the start. People were not sure how a Star Trek show would work without Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner), Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), and Dr. McCoy (DeForest Kelley). While Star Trek: The Next Generation's characters showed promise from the beginning, many of them were not fully developed in TNG's first season. By TNG season 2 and beyond, Captain Picard and his crew began to feel like a family and became the characters fans came to love, but Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 had issues.

10 Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 1 Is A Disappointing Start To The New Era

Star Trek's TNG Era Certainly Didn't Hit The Ground Running

Although fans were unaware at the time, Star Trek: The Next Generation would lead to over a decade of new Star Trek shows set in the 24th century. No new live-action Star Trek had aired on television since the conclusion of Star Trek: The Original Series in 1969, and fans desperately wanted more Trek. While TNG faced some backlash for introducing an entirely new cast of characters, the show did well enough in the ratings to warrant a second season.

If TNG season 1 had aired today, the show likely would not have made it past one season. Paramount Studios chose to broadcast TNG as a first-run syndication show, which was basically unheard of in the 1980s. This means that the show aired on numerous networks simultaneously rather than on one specific channel, like CBS or NBC. After TNG's feature-length premiere, "Encounter at Farpoint," did well in the ratings, the studios agreed to produce a full 23-episode season.

9 Early Star Trek: TNG Borrowed Too Much From Star Trek: The Original Series

TNG Got Better Once It Began Stepping Out Of TOS' Shadow

Despite the fact that Gene Roddenberry wanted Star Trek: The Next Generation to distinguish itself from Star Trek: The Original Series, TNG season 1 borrowed several story ideas from TOS. Most obviously, TNG season 1, episode 3, "The Naked Now" is a direct sequel to TOS season 1, episode 4, "The Naked Time." Between its derivative plot and cringe-worthing moments, TNG's take on the story simply doesn't work.

One of Star Trek's worst episodes, TNG season 1, episode 4, "Code of Honor," borrows many of the worst cliches from TOS, including a cheesy fight to the death and questionable gender roles. The following episode, "The Last Outpost," is most ed for introducing the Ferengi, but it has a similar plot to the Star Trek: The Original Series' "Arena," without being as good as that classic episode.

8 Star Trek: TNG Season 1 Had Numerous Behind-The-Scenes Problems

TNG's Writers Room Earned A Reputation For Being Chaotic

Much of the inconsistency of early Star Trek: The Next Generation is the result of a writing staff in constant flux. TNG even gained a reputation in Hollywood for having a particularly chaotic writers' room, as writers were constantly coming and going. Aging and in poor health, Gene Roddenberry was reportedly becoming more difficult to work with, as he often insisted on rewriting perfectly fine scripts and inserting unnecessary scenes.

Some of this chaos bled into Star Trek: The Next Generation season 2, which was further hampered by the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike. By the end of TNG season 2, Rick Berman was the only writer from the first season who remained on the show.

Thanks to a reputation of behind-the-scenes troubles, TNG had difficulty finding and keeping writers. Some of this energy affected the actors as well. Denise Crosby, in particular, felt that her character of Tasha Yar was too often relegated to the background. Still, the writers of TNG season 1 came up with some cool ideas, although many were never followed up on.

7 Gene Roddenberry's "No Conflict" Rule Limited TNG's Writers

Stories Are Often Built On Conflict

Throughout Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, Gene Roddenberry was still heavily involved in the show's production. Gene implemented a now-infamous "rule" that there could be no interpersonal conflict among the USS Enterprise-D's main cast. This severely limited TNG's writers, forcing them to introduce new conflicts from outside sources for every episode.

TNG mostly abandoned Roddenberry's arbitrary rules as the show went on.

Roddenberry also wanted to stay away from any serialized elements or continuity between seasons, meaning the writers had to return to the established status quo by the end of each episode. The lack of conflict and continuity in TNG season 1 kept the characters from growing and ultimately didn't make sense for the show long-term. TNG mostly abandoned Roddenberry's arbitrary rules as the show went on, but still managed to uphold Roddenberry's optimistic vision of the future.

6 TNG's Characters Feel Underdeveloped In The Show's First Season

Some Characters Behave Out Of Character In TNG Season 1

Star Trek: The Next Generation's characters were one of the show's greatest strengths even in season 1. Still, the Enterprise crew of TNG season 1 feel like pale imitations of the characters they would one day become. Captain Picard was colder and more standoffish in the first season but became softer as the show went on. Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), too, lightens up throughout TNG's early seasons.

Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) and her Betazoid empathic abilities work differently in TNG's pilot than they do later in the show's run. Even Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) feels off in "Encounter at Farpoint." For much of TNG season 1, it feels like the actors are growing into their characters, and they become more three-dimensional by the show's second season.

5 Wesley Crusher Saves The Enterprise-D Too Often In TNG Season 1

TNG's Writers Never Knew What To Do With Wesley

Soon after his introduction, Wil Wheaton's Wesley Crusher gained a reputation as an annoying boy genius who saved the Enterprise far too often. Most of these instances occurred during Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 and caused many Trek fans to dislike Wesley as a character. Prodigy or not, it never made sense that Wes was able to solve problems that had stumped the more experienced senior officers.

Wesley improved as Star Trek: The Next Generation went on, and he made a triumphant return as a Traveler in Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 that went a long way toward redeeming his character.

While it could have worked to have Wesley find a genius last-minute solution once as a fluke, TNG's writers turned to this well far too often. In "The Naked Now," Wes even takes control of the Enterprise by creating a force field around engineering. Wil Wheaton did the best he could with the material he was given and has since become a beloved staple of the Star Trek family, but TNG's season 1 writers certainly didn't do him any favors.

4 Several TNG Season 1 Episodes Are Among Star Trek's Worst

"Code of Honor," "Justice," and "Angel One" Are Particularly Weak

There are some solid episodes in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, but when early TNG was bad, it was really bad. With its racist depiction of a primitive alien culture, even TNG's cast hate "Code of Honor," which has been referred to as the worst episode of Star Trek ever made. TNG season 1, episode 14, "Angel One," does not fare much better, falling into the same sexist tropes it's trying to critique.

Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 8, "Justice" is another episode often cited as one of the show's worst. Not only does the episode present a flawed understanding of Star Trek's Prime Directive, but it also depicts another underdeveloped alien culture with a ridiculous fashion sense. There are undoubtedly bright spots throughout early TNG, but the worst episodes bring the entire season down.

3 The Enterprise-D Had Too Many Chief Engineers In TNG Season 1

The Enterprise-D Had At Least 4 Chief Engineers Before Geordi La Forge

While it makes sense that the huge Galaxy Class USS Enterprise-D would have multiple engineers, Star Trek: The Next Generation did not establish a main chief engineer until Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) took over the role in the show's second season. TNG season 1 cycled through four different chief engineers, some of whom only appeared in one episode. "The Naked Now," introduced Lt. Commander MacDougal (Brooke Bundy) as the chief engineer and Jim Shimoda (Benjamin W.S. Lum) as his assistant.

The next chief engineer to make an appearance was Lt. Commander Argyle (Biff Yeager), who appeared in "Where No One Has Gone Before" and "Datalore." After Argyle was Lieutenant Logan (Vyto Ruginis) in "The Arsenal of Freedom." Lastly, Lt. Commander Leland T. Lynch (Walker Boone) appeared in "Skin of Evil," and insisted on stating his full name every time he answered a call.

2 Tasha Yar's Star Trek: The Next Generation Death Still Hurts

Yar Could Have Been Written Off The Show Differently

Despite being initially presented as one of Star Trek: The Next Generation's main characters, Denise Crosby's Lt. Tasha Yar got less and less to do as the first season progressed. This eventually led Crosby to leave TNG, and her character was rather unceremoniously killed off in Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 23, "Skin of Evil." Worse, Tasha's death was abupt and meaningless.

When the Enterprise away team tries to save Counselor Troi from a crashed shuttle in "Skin of Evil," a tar-like creature named Armus blocks their path. Armus kills quickly kills Tasha Yar for his own amusement. Tasha was the first major Star Trek cast member to be killed off, and her death came as a shock to fans. Yar lived on in the memories of her crew and the character got a more heroic send-off in TNG season 3's "Yesterday's Enterprise."

1 Star Trek: TNG's "Conspiracy" Plot Never Went Anywhere

The Starfleet Conspiracy Storyline Only Lasted For 2 Episodes

In Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1, episode 19, "Coming of Age," Starfleet iral Gregor Quinn (Ward Costello) and Lt. Commander Dexter Remmick (Robert Schenkkan) visit the USS Enterprise-D. iral Quinn tells Captain Picard that Starfleet may have been compromised due to a dangerous conspiracy. This storyline continues a few episodes later, in the aptly named "Conspiracy," the Enterprise travels back to Earth to investigate several strange orders from Starfleet command.

The conspiracy storyline was initially meant to reveal a human conspiracy within Starfleet, but Gene Roddenberry felt Starfleet officers would never betray their own.

It was soon revealed that intelligent parasites had taken control of several high-level officers. Although Picard and Riker manage to take out the leader (by gruesomely killing Commander Remmick), the "Conspiracy" parasites are never mentioned again on screen, despite hints that they would return. Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1 introduced several elements that would pop up later in the series, but these parasitic aliens were not one of them.