Some of Star Trek TNG’s Best Episodes Wouldn’t Have Been Made If Gene Roddenberry Had His Way

Key Takeaways

• Fans saved Star Trek from cancelation, leading to The Animated Series and the first film.
• Paramount wanted to exclude Roddenberry from The Next Generation (TNG), but eventually brought him back.
• Despite initial strict rules, Roddenberry’s TNG constraints were eventually broken for better storylines.

In my humble opinion as a devoted fan of Star Trek, I must say that while some of Gene Roddenberry‘s rules for The Next Generation had merit and added depth to the series, others were quite restrictive and hindered potential storytelling.

Back in 1969, when they decided to call it quits with Star Trek: The Original Series, I and many other fans were left feeling a bit lost. But here’s the kicker – we, the passionate fanbase, played an instrumental role in making sure that the Enterprise’s crew didn’t just fade away. The show was so well-received in syndication that Paramount decided to spin off another Star Trek series: Star Trek: The Animated Series (TAS). Although TAS only ran for a brief period, it was our unwavering love for Star Trek that paved the way for another live-action show. This eventually morphed into the first Star Trek film, Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

1986 marked the time when Paramount, having faced challenges in collaborating with Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the “Star Trek” franchise, decided to introduce a fresh “Star Trek” series as its 20th anniversary approached. However, instead of sidelining Roddenberry, who was known for his strong creative control and aggressive legal representation, Paramount found it difficult to make “Star Trek” without him. Eventually, they brought him onboard for the new series, which would later be known as “Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG)”.

Roddenberry’s Rules

As expected, Roddenberry assumed creative leadership over the fresh series right after putting pen to paper on the contract. To guarantee that the new production would meet his expectations and match his quality standards, Roddenberry invited several trusted writers from TOS to collaborate on its development.

Once the Writer’s Manual for “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was fully developed, it contained numerous guidelines about what couldn’t be depicted on the series, colloquially known as Roddenberry’s Rules. It was mentioned that any script deviating from these rules was swiftly discarded, regardless of its merit. This often caused disagreements among the writers, particularly since even the most devoted followers of Gene Roddenberry didn’t always concur with his guidelines for the series.

It appears that the disputes had their merits, as adhering strictly to Roddenberry’s guidelines might have resulted in some of our favorite TNG episodes never being made.

Rule #1: No TOS Characters or Their Descendants

One point Roddenberry emphasized strongly was ensuring new characters, distinct from those in the original series, were introduced. As stated in the TNG Writers’ Guide:

Gene Roddenberry felt that the presence of characters from the original series might overshadow those of TNG, and he feared this could be disastrous for the new show. This concern wasn’t unjustified, as Star Trek fans had already expressed their dissatisfaction with a new series featuring a different cast of characters. In fact, when news of the new show broke, some even picketed at Paramount Studios, demonstrating their strong loyalty to the franchise. Consequently, characters from the original Star Trek were generally kept out of TNG’s storylines, although Roddenberry himself violated this rule in the very first episode of TNG by featuring a cameo by Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy.

In the beginning, it might have been wise to keep Star Trek: Original Series regulars at bay while viewers were getting acquainted with the fresh characters. However, as the series matured, this approach seemed illogical. Fortunately, the writers recognized this and began introducing appearances by fan-favorites from the original show. If they hadn’t, we wouldn’t have enjoyed the exceptional episodes “Sarek,” “Unification Parts 1 & 2,” and “Relics.

Rule #2: No Vulcans

Just like the prohibition of certain character types in the Terms of Service (TOS), the Roddenberry Rule was clearly defined with a single, unambiguous statement.

The sentiment is correct; no arguing that point. By not relying on stories featuring Vulcans, the writers of TNG were forced to envision some amazing new species. To date, over 300 alien species have been seen or mentioned in the franchise. But this would have happened even with some Vulcan-centered episodes in the mix. And apparently, the tenet of “no copying ourselves” only applied to characters, because several early episodes of TNG were remixes of TOS episodes.

The writers of TNG generally adhered to this particular rule quite effectively, and it’s worth noting that TNG is the Star Trek series with the least number of Vulcans. However, there were exceptions in the cases of “Sarek” and “Unification Parts 1 & 2,” and fans are pleased that these exceptions occurred.

Rule #3: No Conflict With the Klingons or the Romulans

In Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), Gene Roddenberry didn’t explicitly forbid Klingons and Romulans, unlike Vulcans, but he strongly discouraged writers from creating stories about conflicts between the Federation and these species. This restriction was not solely due to avoiding repetition of ideas from the original series (TOS), but mainly stemmed from Roddenberry’s optimistic vision of the 24th century. He envisioned that by then, a century after the first Enterprise crew, the Federation would have evolved beyond engaging in full-scale conflicts with entire species, particularly well-known ones like the Klingons and Romulans.

Initially, the writers deviated from this rule as far as one of these species is concerned, specifically the Klingons. Given their alliance with the Federation in the 24th century and a Klingon on the Enterprise-D’s bridge, the Klingons couldn’t serve as major adversaries in TNG. Instead, this role was filled by the Romulans, who proved to be excellent antagonists. Consequently, restrictions against conflicts with the Romulans were lifted by the end of the first season of TNG.

In the third season, the prohibition against engaging in conflict with the Klingons was lifted. Even though they were still federation allies, numerous episodes showcased tense interactions with the Klingons, suggesting that the peace was fragile.

If this rule had been applied consistently, the number of TNG episodes that would have been omitted is staggering. Some standout ones among these are “A Matter Of Honor”, “Redemption (Parts 1 & 2)”, “Birthright (Parts 1 & 2)”, “The Mind’s Eye”, “The Defector”, and “Face Of The Enemy”.

Rule #4: Follow the Prime Directive

In Star Trek’s early days (TOS), Gene Roddenberry strongly advocated for Starfleet to respect the organic growth of alien species and societies on other planets, although this principle was often disregarded. However, in later series like The Next Generation (TNG), Roddenberry emphasized even more that this rule should be strictly adhered to. So much so, that what was once called General Order One transformed into the Prime Directive.

As a devoted gamer exploring the galaxy of Star Trek: The Next Generation, I found myself pondering over the intriguing dilemmas that the creators skillfully wove into the series. Frequently, they placed our heroes, the crew of the Enterprise, in situations where adhering to the Prime Directive would result in catastrophic consequences for entire planets. But what if defying it was the only way to prevent genocide? These moral conundrums were a recurring source of dramatic tension throughout the episodes, and Captain Picard surprisingly often chose to bend the rules set by the Prime Directive when he felt it was necessary.

The writers wisely chose to disregard the Roddenberry Rule in this instance, which would have resulted in fans missing out on top-notch episodes such as “Pen Pals,” “Who Watches the Watchers,” and “Homeward.

Despite Roddenberry’s strong reasons behind the numerous restrictions he imposed on TNG, the writers ultimately demonstrated that many of these rules could be bent without adversely affecting the series. In fact, this flexibility turned out to be advantageous for the show and its fans in the long run.

Sources: Writer’s Guide for Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: The Next Generation — The Continuing Mission

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2024-11-24 06:05