Star Trek: 10 Biggest Historical Events That Never Happened

3. Irish Reunification

Star Trek Irish Reunification The High Ground
CBS Media Ventures

In 1990, Melinda Snodgrass wrote the script for The High Ground, the episode of The Next Generation that predicted the re-unification of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. When the story was in development, Ireland was not the intended example.

Late into the writing stage, Snodgrass was informed that she had to include a line alluding to Irish unification, specifically in 2024. At the time, thirty four years seemed a long way off - so little consideration was given to the impact of this single line.

Writing in 2024, Ireland is perhaps closer to unifying than it was in 1990, though is still a divided island. This article was written in September, so there is of course still time for that to change, however unlikely that may be.

The inclusion of the line saw the episode banned from RTÉ, where it has never been shown, and from the BBC, where it has since been shown in truncated form. 

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Seán is the host and head writer/presenter for TrekCulture, as well as a writer/presenter on WhoCulture and WhatCulture Horror. He has authored two novels, dozens of short stories, and hundreds of articles for WhatCulture. He holds a Master of Arts in Creative Writing from University College Dublin. As part of his work with TrekCulture, Seán has been invited to participate in collaborations with Roddenberry Entertainment, as well as contributing to several Star Trek community projects. An avid fan of Star Trek, Doctor Who, and the horror genre at large, Seán's expertise has helped develop these channels to the successes they are today. As host of the Ups & Downs series on TrekCulture, Seán has become internationally recognised for his positive yet critically informed approach to reviewing every episode of modern Star Trek, ensuring he is one of the go-to voices in the Trek community. Favourite Quote to describe himself: "I'm serious about what I do, just not always about the way that I do it"