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1987 the trekkers got to know a new commander by the name of Jean-Luc Picard, played by the
English actor Patrick Stewart. 18 years since the Original Series was shot for the last time, Paramount
pictures had taken over the rights and made Star Trek - The Next Generation, superior in acting,
science, special effects and story. The series was, needless to say, a huge success, and was broadcast
constantly till 1994.
With Picard, Roddenberry’s idea with a thoughtful, stern and determined commander returns,
though this is mostly thanks to Stewart. Like in the first series he is accompanied by a reliable crew.
Like the independent First Officer William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) or the android Data (Brent
Spiner). Their mission is the same as in TOS, but the crew now is aboard the Flagship of the
Federation; a larger, more powerful and technically more advanced starship.
TOS may lack true enemies of the Federation and the Enterprise save the Klingons, but not so with
TNG. Though the Federation in the 24th century are in peace with the Klingons, there are other, more
vicious enemies in the galaxy. There are the ruthless Borg, on a mission to assimilate all other
lifeforms into their hivemind, the unreliable Ferengi, best described as really greedy, really ugly
creatures, and the unpredictable Romulans, always plotting, always conspiracing. There are also at
least two really mean characters that appears to and fro in TNG. There is Data’s brother Lore,
superior in most things to his little brother and in addition evil of nature, and there is Q, an almighty entity that
finds humanity 'interesting', and keeps on bugging Picard and the rest of the Enterprise.