Fans reacting to the announcement of Star Trek: The Next Generation

"unknown British Shakespearian actor..." Wow, I never thought I'd hear Patrick Stewart described that way.

TNG > OG series any day, everyday.

It's also funny that the article suggests that Laforge is the new Spock, and not obviously Data.

I never got into original series (and I existed before TNG) but something about TNG clicked.

Picard was a man of culture, not some Macho man to sleep with aliens of different colours.

Riker really came into his own as a second and had a different personality and perspective that added to the show

Data explored the concepts of AI and sentience and that mankind could create a new being (The measure of a man episode).

Jordi Laforge was inspiring that people with disabilities could be important and high ranking and overcome those challenges.

Sure, OS has its charm with fake Scottish man and Sulu and the radical idea not all Russians were insane. But I mean, Bones was just such a cliche (dammit Jim) and never really grew on me the way I'm sure he did the generation that loved John Wayne.

I mean let's be real here they had every right to be concerned. TNG had serious problems in the beginning and had some pretty big flaws even as the show got going. Off the top of my head

• The first few episodes (besides Q) were straight trash. Even if you take out the ample racism and sexism, they still kinda suck
• Worf didn't become a thing until Yar died. He was just kinda there. Also his hair looked ridiculous
• Riker was half as sexy in terms of looks and a quarter as sexy in terms of personality
• Picard was a dick. Not firm but fair. A straight up dick.
• They straight up got rid of crusher for a season
• The Ferengi were awful. Not like in a "lol what shenanigans is Quark up to now" but in a "TOS Gorn" way

Haha, Spock wasn't replaced by LaForge. Spock was replaced by Data.

It's always funny looking back at stuff like this. I remember looking at old articles about Catherine Tate becoming a companion in doctor who and people were furious - and in retrospect not only was she one of the best companions, but that was probably the greatest era of the show.

Nobody dislikes Star Trek as much as Star Trek fans.

"LeVar Burton: The new Spock" 👀

There were Star Trek fans at the time screaming from the rooftops about how TNG would ruin Star Trek. Before TNG even aired. But, there were also Star Trek fans who, while disappointed to not have the TOS crew back, were curious about what TNG was going to bring to the table. And, really happy to have a Star Trek series again. But, "Curious Trekkies Wait to See What's What with TNG" wasn't going to sell as many papers and stir up as much drama.

I’ll bet that any TOS fans who were furious at the time probably did not go on to like the show. If they were looking for that witty love/hate triangle of Spock/Kirk/McCoy they didn’t get it.

But as the name suggests, TNG reached a totally new generation of fans. American culture had changed a LOT between these two shows and anyone attached to the old one was either old themselves or hooked on reruns.

TNG didn’t slap big right away, either. It took time to get good and find its audience. But I’m so glad they succeeded.

I say all this to point out that angry fans weren’t actually wrong. The Trek they knew was never coming back. It became a whole other thing for a whole other group of people.

The difference between this and, say, the Star Wars sequels is that those sequels disappointed fans AND failed to find a new audience that was just as dedicated and even larger.

People like to use this article to show that angry fans are just idiots- always there and usually wrong. But the TNG miracle hasn’t been repeated many times, if ever, by any of these other franchise rehashes that a Hollywood has shoved out to grab for cash.

If you've seen the original Battlestar Galactica you'll know why they were worried.

Only good thing about that show was that in space, bras were unpopular.

Help Geordi is staring into my soul.

Were you really a Trekkie if you thought TNG was going to be good in 1987?

Kidding, sort of. I remember thinking it was going to be a cash grab, and I still think I was right to think so at the time. Keep in mind, you couldn't go on the Web and instantly know everything about an upcoming TV show. I think I learned it was in production from the back of a cereal box. I didn't even know Gene Roddenberry was involved. The Enterprise-D design was pretty weird, and the cast of characters was more than a bit out there--a Klingon? On the Enterprise crew? Come on.

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The only thing I wish TNG did from the get go, or kept from season 2 onwards, was Dr. Pulaski. She was simply a much better character and doctor than Crusher, she fit in with the rest of the crew much better as well.

Angry neckbeards never change. Check out the reaction to the casting of Burton’s Batman

Honestly, those people, or rather their opinions, can all go to hell.

A new star trek series then or now won't take away, alter or affect in any way TOS and their ability to enjoy it. Not to mention how incredibly un-Trek like it is to literally avoid "explore[ing] strange new worlds" like the plague.

I get that Trek is comfort food for many of us, and that probably creates a strong form of protective nostalgia, but staying in the past to the exclusion of the future is just awful (not to mention that I'm personally bothered at the extent to which this has happened with modern Trek and it's proclivity for reboots and prequels, SNW becoming increasingly both).

Also, is that picture of Stewart from Dune (1984)?!

I wish I could go back in time and tell them that TNG is going to rock.

Don't worry, they know now.

Levar already looking blind in his photo, he must've been researching the role

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Might be wrong but I think they used a picture of Bronson Pinchot instead of Brent Spiner. Now I really wanna see Data acting like Balki from Perfect Strangers.

The perspective is interesting and enlightening. For me, TNG was MY Star Trek. The first episode aired when I was 5 years old and I watched every episode with my dad over the seven year run.

Part of me grew up on the Enterprise D!

Leave it to the founder of Wendy's to do a Star Trek hit piece

Apparently the most recognisable name was Levar Burton, being in Roots and Reading Rainbow.

That's some tasty retro-nerdiness.

“The Reading Rainbow guy on MY Star Trek?! Oh god, is he gonna read a book to the shields to get them to hold?”

I recall this being posted ad nauseum on r/startrek, and the comments were always full of people using it to dismiss any and all criticism of Discovery and/or Picard. Nice to see that not being rehashed here.

At least it reads like they were upset about diversity

I remember when it first aired. I was not a fan. Having re-watched the entire series in a loop since the first airing (I recorded the broadcasts on VHS), I can comfortably say that the first season is pretty shit. Once it finds its stride though...

How the hell does Gates McFadden look better now than she did 20 years ago

Hmmm. Came back here looking for the snippet but the image link seems to be broken … any chance of digging it out again?

I still remember when they Poochied the lesbian security guard.