10 things you might not know about Star Trek: The Next Generation

Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in 1987 and has been a fan favorite since. 

As fans, we want to know as much as we can about our favorite series in the Star Trek world, and even when we think we’ve learned just about all we can, we discover there’s more. That’s exactly why I’m writing this post. Thanks to Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, I have learned some pretty cool things about the series that I wanted to share. There’s a chance you might already know some of it, but perhaps not all of it. At any rate, I thought it was worth sharing!

1. The longest makeup session ever performed on The Next Generation was, surprisingly, not on a Klingon. It was on Levar Burton for his metamorphosis in “Identity Crisis.” It took six hours to complete. That required a lot of patience!
2. Worf’s “I’m not a merry man” quote as Will Scarlett in “Qpid” was made into a greeting card. Still one of my favorite quotes.
3. Dan Koko was Jonathan Frakes’ stunt double, and, in 1984, he set the world “high fall” record for a leap from a ninety-foot platform that was set on top of a twenty-five story Vegas World Hotel in Las Vegas. He plummeted 326 feet at ninety-eight miles an hour. Prior to that, he won thirty-two medals in track meets between 1972-1974. He also doubled for Frakes in Star Trek: First Contact.
4. René Echevarria received angry letters from fans because Worf was teaching younger Klingons to hunt and kill animals in “Birthright.”
5. The writer of “Chain of Command Part II,” Frank Abatemarco did extensive research on the psychology of torturers and the experiences of torture survivors for the episode. Jeri Taylor did as well, and she was very uncomfortable with the assignment, as most anyone would have been.
6. James Cromwell was so well-liked in his role as Prime Minister Nayrok in “The Hunted,” that he was brought back for a role in “Birthright 1&II.” He played the unrecognizable Yridian Jaglom Shrek. Come on. Look at this picture and tell me you knew it was him! I didn’t.
7. Leonard Nimoy offered the story for “Unification” as he said it made sense for Spock to make an appearance in the series at that point. As an aside, he originally asked for $1 million for the part but then agreed to accept SAG pay to promote Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
8. “Darmok” was originally considered to be an unfixable script, and it took two years from the time of writing to the time of production. The  Captains’ Logs: The Unauthorized Complete Trek Voyages shares a little more information about the troubles behind the production, including Rick Berman’s dislike of the premise and Michael Piller’s determination to make it work.
9. We don’t find out Chief O’Brien’s first name until the season four episode, “Family.”  He was in thirty-three episodes prior to “Family.”
10. Three people played Data in “A Fistful of Datas.” All of the close-ups were of Brent Spiner, but three men had their faces and other areas of skin that showed painted to resemble Data. As a bonus piece of information, this episode was one of five directed by Patrick Stewart.

And there you have it. Ten facts about Star Trek: The Next Generation you might not have known before reading this.