The Unauthorized Trekkers’ Guide to the Next Generation and Deep Space Nine

Roddenberry remained the eternal optimist, in spite of all the failures, disappointments, and difficult times he had endured during the years between the cancellation of Star Trek in 1969 and its return to life in 1979. Roddenberry continued to promote his philosophy of life that consisted of bold optimism (there will be a future and it will be wonderful), a belief in social progress, the benefits of technological advancement (he did not equate progress with the diminishing of the quality of life), the pursuit of knowledge, life affirmation (he objected to Captain Kirk’s casual killing of the Ceti Eel in The Wrath of Khan), the tolerance of other cultures, and secular humanism (the dominance of reason and experience over supernatural deities and mysticism).

MAKING THE OLD WAYS BETTER

It is because Roddenberry’s basic Star Trek philosophy had been reinterpreted and sometimes altered in the motion picture treatments that he made certain that all of his beliefs for the Star Trek universe were firmly in place for The Next Generation. With that as an underlying philosophy, the shows therefore exhibit a point of view and occasionally moralize.

There were some contradictions in the original philosophy, though, which Roddenberry himself sought to correct in The Next Generation. Instead of having the Klingons dismissed as being just the bad guys, he rewrote them as a proud warrior race with a culture as deep and diverse as anything seen on the other worlds in the Federation.

The Next Generation continued the use of the transporter with little alteration other than in visual effects and the sound. This is explained by the difference in technology. For instance, in The Next Generation episode “Relics,” when a ship is found with the old-style transporter in it, the old-style sound effect is used when the transporter beam materializes. The transporter is perhaps the prime example of Star Trek magic. Created for the convenience of scriptwriters, it allows for the characters to move from the ship to a planet and back again instantaneously, thereby dispensing with scenes of ships landing and taking off again.

REWRITING THE RULES OF REALITY

Which brings us to another device of magical technology: the holodeck. The holodeck that Roddenberry introduced on The Next Generation clearly alters our views of what is possible in reality in any number of ways. The computer can be programmed to create virtually anything in the holodeck, from the lush surface of a planet with jungles and a waterfall to London in the 1890s. The holodeck creates images of substance. In “The Big Goodbye” those images strike back with potentially deadly force. In that Peabody Award-winning episode, Captain Picard creates a realm in the holodeck based on his favorite detective stories. Set in the 1930s, Dixon Hill is clearly based on the hard-boiled detective thrillers of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett. Like Sherlock Holmes, they are archetypes that are very much a part of their era.

It’s not unusual that a science fiction series should be so captivated by images from detective stories. Mystery fiction tends to be very popular among screenwriters and science fiction writers. Using this to create a film noir setting, The Next Generation created a tech noir in which the holodeck world became a reality. The people projected by the computer evidently are not just images that move according to a design but have a sense of self, which as time went on was enhanced, as shown in “Elementary, Dear Data.” In “The Big Goodbye” the hologram people debated whether they were real and struggled to prove their individuality. One of them, who possessed memories of a wife and family, even questioned what would happen to all of them when the program was ended. This question would ultimately be addressed in the sixth-season episode “Moriarty.”

AIMING FOR THE STARS

Although Roddenberry was intensely involved with the creation and development of The Next Generation, the show had problems from the start.

In spite of a series bible that established who all the regular characters were, no detailed background had been worked out for them. Their personalities were largely being established during filming by the actors and their various directors, with a result that the characters were often inconsistent from one episode to the next, particularly Captain Picard. Worf was a late entry in the character roster because initially Roddenberry didn’t want to bring the Klingons back. It was only when he decided to give the Klingons a real background and make them richer characters that he agreed to include them.

Although episode twelve of The Next Generation, “The Big Goodbye,” won the coveted Peabody Award for television excellence, far too many of the first-year episodes suffered from a distinct lack of excellence. One of the other few exceptions is “Heart of Glory,” the episode that established Worf as being more than just a fixture on the bridge.

The second year improved consistently, demonstrating that all involved had learned from their mistakes (and the mistakes of others) and were ready to finally get down to work.

Seasons three through seven continued the process of fine-tuning the characters and establishing them as individuals with distinctive personalities. Picard went from being an inconsistent leader to a seasoned starship captain worthy of the position as commander of the flagship of Starfleet. Episodes were done which spotlighted the many facets of Jean-Luc Picard while capitalizing on the fine acting abilities of actor Patrick Stewart.

Riker was the steadiest of the crew from the beginning, and subsequent seasons insured that he became even more firmly established as the finest first officer in Starfleet.

Data, who has no emotions, has been at the center of some of the most moving stories told in the series, including “Pen Pals” and “Hero Worship.”

By year four, even the female characters, Deanna Troi and Dr. Crusher, were getting episodes that spotlighted them in powerful stories such as “Remember Me” and “Power Play.”

LOOKING FORWARD

While all too many series have run out of steam long before they complete seven seasons, and start repeating themselves endlessly, The Next Generation continued to search for ways to grow and strengthen itself. The series carries with it a proud legacy. It is not just a Star Trek spin-off: it was shepherded by the Great Bird of the Galaxy himself, Gene Roddenberry. The dream Roddenberry first brought to life in 1966 has been revised and expanded as Gene looked on like a proud parent.

The dream called Star Trek has lasted for more than twenty-eight years—The Next Generation gave it new life and exploration in new directions. It’s evident Roddenberry’s dream will never die.

ABOARD THE NEW ENTERPRISE (#ulink_535ed05e-557e-59a1-ab36-6118b0a17c2c)

The Enterprise NCC 1701-D is the fifth starship to bear that name. It is twice the length of Captain Kirk’s ship and has nearly eight times the interior area to house the crew. The basic structure is the same, even though the vessel looks more sleek and cohesive.

While the first starships to bear the name Enterprise were designed to represent the Federation in political and military matters, the 1701-D was designed for exploration, de-emphasizing the importance of being a battle cruiser. This Enterprise serves as home to 1,012 people, which is two and a half times the ship’s complement of the Enterprise 1701. This is the result of a century of technological evolution emphasizing human interaction with the hardware they use.

This new class of Starfleet vessel enables families to stay together. As the first captain on this bold new experiment in human exploration, Picard is uncomfortable with the idea of dealing with families. He’s accustomed to a crew of professional, Starfleet-trained men and women who know their duty and understand their jobs thoroughly. The concept of children and other non-Starfleet personnel running around unnerves him even though he understands that it contributes to the morale.

The sophistication of the new Enterprise includes a variety of single and group family modules, various levels of schools, study facilities and other features designed so that children and spouses can live lives as normal as possible aboard what is practically a colony ship. Recreation has always been important on starships and now takes into account children.

THE HOLODECK

There is a large selection of entertainment, sports, and other recreational forms, but the most elaborate is the holodeck. The holodeck, as seen in “Encounter at Farpoint,” can simulate almost any landscape or sea world complete with winds, tides, rain or whatever is needed to make the illusion convincingly real. The special reality of the holodeck helps prevent the crew from feeling a sense of confinement from their prolonged voyage onboard the starship. The holodeck can also be used for purposes of exercise, as an opponent can be conjured up who is capable of responding to various modes of self-defense, as shown in the episode “Code of Honor.”

The living and working areas of the Enterprise reflect an emphasis on the quality of life, being brighter and designed more for comfort than utilitarian compromise. Gone is the clutter and profusion of gauges, instruments, and control buttons. Instead the consoles feature black panels with touch-activated controls and voice-activated displays. This enables swifter activation of the necessary controls that could be crucial in emergency situations.

This new technology is especially important for the bridge. The new bridge is much larger and combines the features of ship control, briefing room, information retrieval area, and officers’ ward room. Much the same kinds of things happen here as on the old bridge, but with less emphasis on the mechanics of steering the starship. It is a place where the starship officers can meet, check information, make plans or just catch up on what has been happening.

The control of the starship is handled by two bridge duty officers assigned to the tasks designated command and control. These are designated as CON (command and vessel control, including helm and navigation) and OPS (vessel operations, including some duties formerly performed in Engineering).

The center of the bridge consists of the Command Area, which is the focal point of all bridge activities. The captain, his Number One, and close advisors are located here. Just in front of this area are the previously described OPS and CON. Geordi La Forge and Data are in charge of these stations when not assigned to an Away Team. Their backups, who assume these duties when either Data or La Forge is unavailable, are simply referred to by the designations of their duties: OPS and CON.

At the rear of the bridge is a raised semicircular area separated from the Command Area by a railing, behind which is another set of console stations. This is the Tactical Control for weapons, defensive devices (such as the shields), and the internal security of the Enterprise.

MORE CONSOLES

On the rear wall of the bridge are the Aft Consoles. These five stations are generally unsupervised functions unless specifically needed. Viewing them from left to right, they are as follows:

Emergency Manual Override: In the event of main computer failure, many of the ship’s primary functions can be operated from this station.

Environment: This can adjust the life-support systems and related environmental engineering functions anywhere on the ship. A similar system was employed against the bridge crew in Kirk’s time in “Space Seed” as well as against Khan’s cronies during the same encounter. No doubt this is to prevent the vessel from being used as a weapon against its inhabitants.

Propulsion Systems: This is a backup system to OPS and CON that ties in directly to Engineering and the control of the warp drive and impulse engines.

Sciences: This is essentially a research station. It is used by the Science Officer and various mission specialists and can also be accessed by the Chief Medical Officer.

Sciences II: This is a second console identical to the Science station next to it so that more than one researcher at a time can access information and interact.

The stage-left side of the bridge has two turbolifts and a door leading to the Captain’s Office (also called the Captain’s Ready Room). This has an auxiliary turbolift as well as the Captain’s private head and washroom.

On the right side of the bridge is a door leading to the bridge head and washroom, something they didn’t seem to have on the original starship. A running joke at the time of Captain Kirk was that the Klingons didn’t have a head anywhere on their ships, which is what made them so mean.

WINDOW INTO SPACE

Continuing the overview of the bridge, the forward section contains a huge wall-sized holographic view screen. This viewer is almost always activated and dominates the bridge, giving the impression of a window into space. The view screen has magnifying capabilities and in some cases can lock into equipment on another vessel and send back an image of the other vessel’s bridge.

Behind the bridge, but not immediately visible from inside the bridge proper, is a room filled with comfortable furnishings and lined with actual windows facing to the rear of the vessel. This affords an awesome view of the aft portion of the Enterprise saucer section as well as of the nacelles of the starship. This lounge is completely equipped as an observation deck and contains food units and often serves as a retreat from the pressures of duty by bridge officers. Access to it is a privilege.

The Transporter Room is more colorful than the plain battleship gray of the old Enterprise. Although people to be beamed out usually go to stand on the transporter pad, site-to-site transportation is also possible, and people can be beamed directly to the bridge or elsewhere in the ship. Communicators, now a part of the gold-plated chest insignia, can be locked in on by the Transporter when needed. The transporter beam has a range of 16,000 kilometers (roughly 10,000 miles). The transporter is also designed to filter out viruses, bacteria, and other alien matter that might be picked up on the surface of a planet. It can also be used to detect and, if necessary, deactivate weapons.

QUICK ESCAPE

A special feature of the new Enterprise is the ability of the saucer section of the vessel to separate from the main hull in emergency situations. The only drawback to this escape procedure is that the warp engines are located in the main hull while the saucer section contains only impulse power from an engine located at the rear of the saucer.

There are also shuttlecraft aboard the Enterprise that are used when the transporter is malfunctioning or should the starship become disabled and evacuation in deep space become a necessity. This new Enterprise 1701-D is the most amazing in a proud heritage of ships bearing that title.

SPECIAL EFFECTS (#ulink_e11ad94e-8b44-562c-9c9f-b8b1d5429e03)

Special visual effects are those shots done separately from any live-action shooting. Some special effects shots, such as on-set explosions, are done by a different crew entirely. Optical effects are done after live-action shooting is completed.