The Ultimate Star Trek Viewing Guide: TV & Streaming Details For Every Single Episode And Movie

14. Star Trek: The Next Generation

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In 1987, Star Trek returned to television with The Next Generation, a show set 78 years after the events of The Original Series. Contemporary reviews of that first season weren't kind - how dare they attempt to change Star Trek? This wasn't my Trek, they cried! 

The Next Generation, it's fairly safe to say, won over the audience as it went along and is now celebrated as one of the greatest science fiction television shows of all time. Patrick Stewart originated a very different kind of captain from William Shatner's Kirk, and Captain Picard would go on to be a symbol of diplomacy in the franchise.

The supporting cast from The Next Generation returned in the final season of the follow-up show, Star Trek: Picard, largely due to their popularity both on and off screen. Episodes like The Best Of Both Worlds are credited with changing how television handled cliff-hangers, while All Good Things remains one of the greatest series finales ever made.

If one were just starting their Star Trek journey, The Next Generation would be a strong starting point.