10 Dumbest Things In Star Trek: The Next Generation
The Next Generation fixed many of Star Trek's flaws, but sometimes it was the Final Dumb-tier
Star Trek: The Next Generation scooped up Emmys, Hugos, Saturns, and even a prestigious Peabody Award during its seven-year run in first-run syndication. This massive success spawned multiple TV spin-offs, four theatrical films, and a sea of ancillary media so vast that only the most dedicated fans could navigate it all. But let's be real—no show, no matter how successful, can churn out 176 episodes without hitting a few bumps. Every long-running series has its share of clunkers, oddities, and downright stupid moments, and The Next Generation is no exception.
That said, like we did with our look at the original Star Trek, let’s not get bogged down comparing a 37-year-old show with today’s entertainment. This isn’t an article about Riker’s shoulder pads, the cheap-looking “Planet Hell” set, or the carpeted everything in the future. Nor will it be a rundown of individual stinkers—if only to avoid writing an entire slide about the uninspired and humdrum clip show "Shades of Gray."
Instead, let’s boldly go by taking a broader view and discussing the most dumbfounding aspects of The Next Generation as a series.
10. Families on board when you visit Starbase 47 every 3rd week
According to the March 23, 1987 draft of the show’s Writer/Director’s Guide, “As humanity probes deeper and deeper into space with ten-year or longer missions becoming the norm, Starfleet has begun encouraging crewpersons [sic] to share the space exploration adventure with their families.” Having families onboard the Enterprise-D was a feature of The Next Generation and a departure from the more paramilitary-style of the original series, with ongoing storylines devoted to Wesley Crusher (son of Dr. Beverly Crusher), Alexander (son of Lt. Worf, not that the latter remembered it), and Keiko O’Brien (wife of Miles O’Brien), along with many other minor civilian characters.
However, despite hints that the starship is on a mission to chart deep, unexplored space in “Encounter at Farpoint,” the underlying justification for the presence of families onboard the vessel—a long-term mission probing into deep, unexplored space—was quickly and thoroughly abandoned.
Consider the following examples, just from the show’s first season. In “Datalore,” the Enterprise travels to Omicron Theta, once home to the human colony where Data was discovered. In “11001001” the Enterprise arrives at Starbase 79 for routine maintenance. In “Too Short A Season,” Admiral Mark Jameson boards the Enterprise to return to Modan IV, a planet he had previously visited 45 years earlier. In “Home Soil,” the Enterprise visits an established terraforming colony on Velara III. “Conspiracy” brings the Enterprise back to Earth and “The Neutral Zone” to the Federation-Romulan border first depicted in “Balance of Terror.”
Nevertheless, despite sending the Enterprise to many more familiar old worlds than originally intended, families remained onboard the Enterprise throughout the show’s seven year run despite the frequent peril the vessel found itself in.