9. Encounter At Farpoint (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Encounter At Farpoint was the pilot episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and launched a continuous period of some eighteen years of Star Trek on television until the final episode of Star Trek: Enterprise. It isn't a traditional crossover story at all, but does feature a cameo from the late DeForest Kelley as Admiral McCoy. Kelley refused to take anything more than the scale rate of pay for appearing in the episode. He felt that this was a way to say thank you for Star Trek and hoped that his appearance would boost ratings and publicity for the new series. Apart from this and a mention of Captain Kirk's Enterprise in The Naked Now, this would be the only inclusion of any elements seen in The Original Series for some time to come. Farpoint is looked upon fondly, due to it being the pilot of TNG. But really, it isn't a particular fabulous episode much like the other episodes in the first season. This was partly in how it was written the Q storyline was shoehorned into the story in order to expand it to a two-part episode and so it just didn't fit with the other story.
