10 Times Gene Roddenberry Hated Star Trek
8. The Original Series Crossovers On The Next Generation
Strangely, Gene Roddenberry didn't want any classic characters from The Original Series to return in The Next Generation. His reason for this, as stated in the official "Star Trek Series Bible" he wrote, is that he wanted the newest Star Trek show to stand apart from the original as something new and different.
This was a noble goal. Roddenberry was committed to not letting the franchise go stale, constantly evolving it to be grander and more modern. This is something that shows like Discovery, Lower Decks, and Picard are continuing to this day. However, every now and then a cameo from another series in the franchise can be fun to see. It helps the universe feel truly connected and real.
Roddenberry was originally very adamant against crossovers, but caved in and allowed Deforest Kelley to make an appearance as Dr. McCoy in The Next Generation pilot to tour the new Enterprise-D.
Eventually Star Trek became more comfortable with crossovers, and, during Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and the other following shows, became a deeply connected universe, much like the Marvel Cinematic Universe.