[Narrator] Star Trek: The Next Generation
was the first live action Star Trek spinoff
to air on the small screen, premiering in 1987,
more than 20 years after the original series.
The show aired 178 episodes over seven seasons
and remains the longest running series
in the Star Trek franchise.
Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry
was directly involved in the development of Next Gen
and consulted on the series until his death in 1991.
Next Gen was thematically similar to the original series
but set 100 years later in the 24th century.
The show depicted the voyages
of a bigger, more advanced Starship Enterprise,
which had an upgraded transporter,
more powerful phasers,
and could separate the saucer from the hull in an emergency.
The ship had several new pieces of technology, too.
Champagne.
[Narrator] Like the replicator,
which could generate any food or drink on request,
and the holodeck, a virtual reality playscape.
The show introduced a whole new crew
with updated uniforms and personal communicators,
who would continue Starfleet's mission
to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Commanding the ship was Captain Jean-Luc Picard,
a firm and dashing leader, who drank Earl Gray tea (hot)
and valued Starfleet's Prime Directive above all else.
Beverly, the Prime Directive is not just a set of rules;
it is a philosophy and a very correct one.
[Narrator] Picard's second-in-command
was William Riker,
a trombone-playing ladies' man
and one of Starfleet's best pilots.
Picard often looked for guidance
from the ship's counselor, Deanna Troi,
who was half-Betazoid,
a race known for their telepathic ability.
Counselor?
We're not dealing with an individual mind.
They don't have a single leader.
It's the collective minds of all of them.
[Narrator] Then there was Lieutenant Commander Data,
Picard's second officer,
who was the galaxy's only known sentient android.
He was also the ship's strongest
and most intelligent crew member,
although Data longed to be human above all.
If being human is not simply a matter
of being born flesh and blood,
if it is instead a way of thinking, acting, and feeling,
then I am hopeful that one day
I will discover my own humanity.
[Narrator] Along with the rest of the crew,
Picard and the Enterprise sought out
new life and new civilizations,
while also facing old and new adversaries alike.
Let's see what's out there.
[Narrator] For one, the Romulans,
known for their cunning ways and secretive society,
made their return from the original series
as recurring foes for this new generation of heroes.
While never-before-seen enemies
compromised the Federation
at other different points in the series.
However, it was the Borg Collective
that posed the biggest threat
to all life across the galaxy in Picard's time.
Sharing a sinister hive mind,
this cyborg-like race only cared about one thing:
advancing the superiority of their species
by any means necessary.
In one particularly vicious encounter,
Picard himself was assimilated by the Borg
and used as an instrument
to bring about humanity's destruction.
I am Locutus of Borg.
Resistance is futile.
[Narrator] Thankfully, Picard's assimilation
was successfully reversed and the Borg abated,
but, while he rarely talked about it,
the Enterprise captain would never fully recover
from his traumatic experience with the Collective
in the years to come.
But through it all, Picard and his crew
always favored peace over war,
and the friendships they made along the way
would serve as their greatest strength
for their journey through the stars.
Is there a problem, sir?
No.
I just thought that I might, um,
I might join you this evening, if there's room.
[Will] Of course, have a seat.
I should have done this a long time ago.
Five card stud, nothing wild.