I’ve had about a week with TNG so far, and as I make my way through the hot and cold season 1, I’ve been thinking about a story that gets bandied about in Star Trek circles about the development and creation of TNG:
Essentially, when Rodenberry and crew set out to develop a new Star Trek television series, the goal was to distinguish this new crew and characters from the much-beloved crew that populated Captain Kirk’s Enterprise. There was, apparently, a fear that TNG would seem like a simple repeat of TOS, and they wanted this show to honor its roots while still allowing it to stand on its own. Thus, in addition to other changes they made for TNG, there was one hard and fast rule when it came to building the crew of the NCC 1701-D: No Vulcans on the bridge.
I highly suspect this story may be apocryphal, but it also makes a lot of sense when taken in context. Of all the characters from TOS, Mister Spock is clearly the most iconic character. His growth from the Pilot all the way through several movies (The fourth film The Voyage Home was released in 1986, and TNG premiered in 1987) was a huge plot point in the series, and Nimoy’s portrayal of Spock’s struggle between his human and Vulcan sides was captivating. If there was a Vulcan on the crew of the D, then it was reasonable to assume the spectre of TOS would loom so large over TNG that the latter would never be able to develop an identity of its own.
Thus, we have several humans, an android, a half-Betazoid, and a Klingon making up the crew, and there isn’t a Vulcan in sight. In fact, I’m hard pressed to think of many episodes throughout TNG’s 7 seasons that even feature Vulcans.
So… with our No-Vulcans-On-The-Bridge mandate firmly in place, TNG should be seen as its own show and be able to step neatly out of the shadow of its forefather, right? Well, watching the first dozen or so episodes of TNG, I’m not quite sure.
Before embarking on The Prolific Trek, I had seen all of both TOS and TNG, but I know I’ve never watched them in this fashion before. That is, I’ve never watched all of TOS in the span of a month before immediately turning my attention to TNG. There’s always some sort of gap in between my watching the two series, and doing it this way has most assuredly changed my perspective on the opening few episodes of TNG.
TNG opens with Encounter at Farpoint. Encounter is an episode I’ve long adored. I find it a great introduction to my favorite Star Trek series, and the introduction of Q, the omnipotent God-like trickster who will appear in numerous episodes throughout this and other series, is fantastic. Putting humanity on trial for crimes committed centuries ago is interesting, and it gives Patrick Stewart the opportunity to really shine as Jean Luc Picard.
While I still enjoyed Encounter, this time I was struck with the nagging feeling of dejavu. The use of a God-like being as the antagonist is straight out of the TOS playbook. And in the TAS episode The Magicks of Megus-Tu, Kirk and company are literally put on trial for humanities transgressions.
But it wasn’t really Encounter that has had me questioning whether the energy spent developing the No-Vulcan-On-The-Bridge rule could have been better spent creating richer characters and stories and taking further action to distinguish TNG from TOS in more substantial ways than the ears of the First Officer. No. It is the second episode of Season 1, The Naked Now, that had me literally rolling my eyes.
The Naked Now is a fine episode. I don’t love it, but there are some wonderful character moments. The developments we see in the Crusher and Picard relationship are nice, and learning that Data is “fully functional” is certainly an iconic Star Trek moment. However, The Naked Now is also nearly a shot-for-shot remake of the TOS episode The Naked Time. Perhaps the goal was merely to reference back to that episode by creating this one in TNG, but that goal fails pretty spectacularly. The plot and minor occurrences in this episode are so identical to the TOS episode that it becomes nearly hard to watch. Heck, Wesley taking over the Enterprise and declaring that they will now eat dessert first isn’t even something original to the show that has a teenage kid as part of its main cast; nearly the same thing happened in the TOS episode.
Both Code of Honor and Justice are also superficial enough that they feel like nothing more than TOS episodes. Although, to be fair, I’m pretty sure that Code of Honor would likely have been considered unforgivably racist even in the 1960s, and that makes it really stand out like a sore thumb in a 1987 episode.
Yes. There are many moments in these early season 1 episodes that so desperately and blatantly emulate TOS that the idea that the TNG production team was trying to distinguish the show from its predecessor is laughable. These first several episodes are almost aggressively TOS-esque.
That’s not to say that season 1 of TNG is derivative. In fact, there are even moments in these early episodes where the character of the show really begins to come to life.
I’ve blogged at length here about the differences between Kirk and Picard, and I intend to discuss those differences as Picard’s character continues to grow.
Picard’s character will grow a lot over these first few seasons, but by the tenth episode of Season 1, it has become abundantly clear that the writers know where they are going with our new captain. Picard loves Shakespeare and rousing speeches. He’s a diplomat, and above all, he has an unending faith in humanity. In that episode, while Q tempts Riker with the powers of the Continuum as a test for humanity, Picard goes toe to toe with the being, and he busts out one of the first great Picard speeches of the series:
-No. I know Hamlet. And what he might say with irony, I say with conviction: “What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty. In form, in moving, how express and admirable. In action, how like an angel. In apprehension, how like a god…”
-Surely you don’t see your species like that, do you?
-I see us one day becoming that, Q. Is that what concerns you?
–Jean Luc Picard and Q, Hide and Q
Delivered with the usual Patrick Stewart gusto, this speech really stands out to me. Picard knows his earth history and his literature. He knows the depths humanity has been at, and he knows where they have risen to. And he doesn’t see any limit to their potential.
In fact, I really think it is this episode (Hide and Q) that TNG truly starts to find its footing. It’s not just some wonderful work by Patrick Stewart that makes this episode sort of a defining episode, but it is the delivery of the plot.
The plot of Hide and Q really could be pulled right out of TOS. Riker is tempted with God-like powers? Yeah. That’s like TOS 101 right there.
But this episode is full of character moments and development that TOS only ever dreamed of. When Riker realizes he is barred from using his powers because of his promise to Picard, there is a depth of character to Riker that TOS was never able to truly achieve.
And near the resolution of the episode, we’re treated to a wonderful exchange between a Captain and First Officer that is so different from the relationship Kirk and Spock cultivated through the years:
Riker: I feel like such an idiot.
Picard: Quite right, so you should.
Hide and Q
This exchange is almost reminiscent of so many of the bickering exchanges between Bones and Spock at the end of TOS episodes, but here, it feels different. No one is mocking a green-blooded Vulcan for showing (or not showing) emotion. Instead, Riker realizes how he has been manipulated by Q, and he owns up to his mistake. Picard recognizes that, and it is a sign of how comfortable he is with his first officer, that our ever-proper captain agrees with the assessment.
So… Was the No-Vulcans-On-The-Bridge directive a good thing? I don’t really know, but it has been fascinating to watch TNG find its footing. It’s steadily developing from a TOS knock-off to a Star Trek show all its own, and I’m so excited to once again experience the growth of these characters and storylines that I know by heart by now.
#LLAP
The Prolific Trek 