1988 strike impacted Star Trek: The Next Generation

The 1988 Strike Impacted Star Trek: The Next Generation and many other television shows

The current WGA strike has ended and the SAG-AFTRA strike is still ongoing, leaving the future of many television productions uncertain, including many Star Trek productions.  Many of the cast and crew from Star Trek: The Next Generation may be wondering whether the same things they saw for their series will follow for other Star Trek productions, including Starfleet Academy and the Section 31 Paramount+ movie.

However, TNG seemed to reemerge from the 1988 strike mostly for the better.   Many character dynamics were shifted, elements that didn’t work from the first season cut, an entire beloved set added, and more.  Fans disagree about when TNG really found its footing with some fans saying season two, and others saying season three, but most agree season two did mark the upward shift that helped TNG become one of the most beloved series of the franchise.

If the 1988 strike had not occurred, would TNG  have changed for the better?  Did time constraints that forced the episode count down to twenty-two versus twenty-six for the other six seasons make the writers focus on certain plot lines and discard others?  Since the writers could not work on scripts until after the strike ended, did they get to spend more time brainstorming scripts instead of having to meet deadlines so quickly?

Star Trek: The Next Generation took shape in season 2 following the 1988 strike

There were several things fans disliked about season 1 of TNG.  These ranged from minor gripes to major character changes.  Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s “Number One”, Lieutenant William Riker, grew a beard that has become iconic to the character and the actor Jonathan Frakes ever since.  Lieutenants Worf and Geordi La Forge switched from Command Red to Operations Gold.  La Forge also took over as Chief Engineer for the Enterprise-D through the end of the series after several different characters were introduced as Chief Engineer in season one.  Commander Data started his quest to explore humanity.  Doctor Katherine Polaski introduced new character dynamics as a striking contrast with her predecessor, Doctor Beverly Crusher. Ten Forward, the TNG bar/mess hall where characters hung out together off the clock, was also added along with Guinan, the bartender portrayed by Whoopi Goldberg, who became an iconic character that was one of the few threats Q feared and a confidant to many of the crew.

While all these changes had a positive impact on the series to the point that season one felt like a giant pilot, TNG did not become perfect after this. The carpeting still looks odd.  The Romulan and Klingon fashion is giggle-inducing with shoulder pads and chest windows galore. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine had to reinvent the Ferengi to give them character development.  Poor Wesley Crusher was not written very well until later seasons and still deserved better plotlines. Counselor Deanna Troi was not utilized properly and often was victimized including various guest characters hurting her and a few scripts focusing on how she could help her peers deal with the emotional fallout of space exploration.  Brent Spiner seemed to become the proto-Jeffery Combs of the franchise as he raked up multiple credits in many episodes. Polaski continues to divide the fanbase as either too gruff or not developed enough.

Yet, if season two had continued in the same vein as season one, fans may have turned away from TNG.  Few if any fans (and even some of the actors) consider season one their favorite season or the best.  A season two that did not have these changes may have led to TNG being canceled before season three.  Imagine a world where TNG never continued – no Lwaxana Troi, no Cardassians, no holodecks, maybe even no other Trek at all?  Would the franchise have become the juggernaut it is now or would it have fallen into obscurity again?