Star Trek: The Next Generation is arguably the most influential source material in Star Trek canon

Star Trek TOS has and will remain the singular architect for Star Trek canon and all its wildly successful spin-off live-action and animation series. With over $10 Billion in worldwide revenue across the Star Trek collective universe of movies, series, merchandise, books/comics, and derivative works – outside of TOS, one series stands alone as the most influential above all others, and it’s not what you may think and here’s why.

The titular Federation’s most influential diplomat, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and his courageous crew of the USS Enterprise-D in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987-1994) is the most expansively influential series in Star Trek canon. Set in the 24th Century this series has been the catalyst for various spin-off series and continuity characters and storylines that you may know.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-1999)

TNG has a direct connection that launched the DS9 spin-off series with Captain Benjamin Sisko as the Commander and the eventual Captain of Starbase Deep Space Nine. The pilot episode “The Emissary” of DSP features Captain Picard as the assimilated Borg Locutus who led an attack at star system Wolf 359 in which a fleet of Federation starships was destroyed, including Captain Sisko's starship the USS Saratoga – where Sisko's wife Jennifer was killed, leaving him to raise his son Jake as a single father. Understandably there has been resentment and tension between Sisko and Picard ever since.

TNG has influenced DSP in more ways in that the Cardassians who occupied Bajor which resulted in forced labor, cultural suppression, and mass execution were originally introduced in TNG (S4 E11 "The Wounded"). This episode established the Cardassians as a militaristic and complex species which set up the premise for their significant role in DS9.

There is also the continuity of the main characters between TNG and DSP. Lieutenant Worf was Picard’s Chief Security Officer and later he became his Tactical Officer focusing on Klingon diplomacy; however, in (S4 E1 “The Way of the Warrior”) of DSP, Worf joined the crew of DSP as the Strategic Operations Officer, and he later commanded the USS Defiant on the show.

Chief Petty Officer Miles O’Brien was Picard’s Transporter Chief aboard Enterprise-D on TNG and when he joined DSP (S1, E1 “Emissary”) he became the Chief of Operations overseeing engineering and station repairs.

The omnipotent god-like being called Q from the Q Continuum was introduced in TNG (S1, E1) in which he put humanity on trial. It’s this mischievous relationship between Picard and Q that fostered a recurring theme that continued on DSP between Sisko and Q as well. However, Sisko tended to have more direct resistance to Q than Picard.

Star Trek: Voyagers (1995-2001)

As both Voyager and TNG took place in the 24th Century, with TNG occurring between 2364 and 2370 and Voyager from a year later beginning in 2371 until 2378 – it’s logical that there would be spin-off connections between the two series. In the pilot episode of Voyager that was a literal hand-off from TNG when Picard and Quark appeared in the "Caretaker" episode that resulted in Voyager being propelled across the galaxy from the Alpha Quadrant to the Delta Quadrant.

The species assimilating nemesis of the Federation, that is The Borg, was introduced in TNG and the continuity of their dangerous antics was passed on in Voyager in significant ways. From Voyager’s alliance with The Borg to go up against Species 8472, which led to Seven of Nine joins the crew, to the crew’s daring heist to steal a transwarp coil from The Borg that pitted Captain Janeway against the Borg Queen, to Voyager encounters with rogue Borg drones who broke free of collective – all defied Voyager as a formidable foe of The Borg.

The TNG to Voyager character crossovers continued with TNG's Lieutenant Reginald Barclay (Systems Diagnostic Engineer) and Commander Deanna Troi (Ship's Counselor). Barclay and Troi appear in Voyager (S6, E10 “Pathfinder). At 75K light-years away from Earth, this episode was quite significant because it was Voyager’s first time in contact with Earth since they had been propelled to Delta Quadrant. In “Pathfinder” Barclay became obsessed with establishing communications with Voyager in the Delta Quadrant – so much so that he sought help with his mental health from Counselor Troi.

TNG has continued to influence Voyager with additional character crossovers with Q appearing in Voyager episodes like “Death Wish” and “The Q and the Grey”. Additionally, The Marquis was introduced in TNG (S7, E20 “Journey’s End”) in which Ensign Wesley Crusher visited a Native American colony who were forced to relocate because of the Federation/Cardassians treaty. Some colonists aligned themselves with the Maquis, refusing to leave and resist and fight the Cardassian oppression. In a character crossover in Voyager, some of the Maquis have joined the crew of the USS Voyager and eventually acclimated into officer positions.

And finally, in the Voyager “Death Wish” episode Janeway alluded to her direct interaction with Picard as she referenced her past experiences with Picard to Q – likely making the most significant connection between TNG and Voyager.

Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2024)

Even though Discovery takes place in the 23rd Century at the beginning of the series, 100 years before the events of TNG – there are notable connections and crossover between TNG and Discovery.

Likely, the most significant in the crossover concept of the Progenitors, who are thought to be the engineers of the human species and others. The Progenitors were introduced in TNG (S6, E20 “The Chase”) where Picard and crew are in a race with Cardassians, Klingons, and Romulans to solve a 4-billion-year-old genetic mystery that could unlock the origins of multiple species.

In season 5 of Discovery, Captain Burnham and crew were on a top-secret mission to discover an ancient technology of the Progenitors in episodes “Red Directive”, “Whistlespeak” and the series finale “Life, Itself”.  This Discovery storyline ties back to Picard’s search for the same Progenitorian technology.

Another direct connection between TNG and Discovery - is Discovery (S3, E7 “Unification III”) in which footage played by Commander Burnham depicts a clip of Leonard Nimoy’s Spock as part of Captain Picard’s personal files. This footage was significant because it showed the importance of Spock’s work towards the unification of the Vulcan-Romulan reunification and influencing its success marked by the renaming of Vulcan to NiVar.

The introduction of a new alien species, Barzans, occurred in TNG (S3, E8 "The Price') in which Premier Bhavani of Barzan came aboard the USS Enterprise-StaD to negotiate control a stabilized wormhole. A species crossover occurred when Commander D. Nhan, a female Barzan served on the USS Discovery as a security officer – further demonstrating TNG’s influence on the Discovery series.

Star Trek: Picard (2020-2023)

Picard is a direct spin-off from TNG with a variety of continuity characters, storylines, and themes. Most notable character crossovers in Captain Picard himself and of course - “Number One” Commander William Riker, Commander Geordi La Forge, Counselor Deanna Troi, Q, Commander Data & Lore, Lieutenant Worf, Dr. Beverly Crusher.  There are also many examples of species crossovers from TNG to Picard including The Borg, and the Cardassians as species that originated in TNG.

Although the storytelling in Picard is uniquely its own, it is certain that without TNG there would be no Captain Picard solo spin-off series.

Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020-2024)

The concept of a lower deck crew of ensigns trying to rank up to junior officers was introduced in TNG (S7, E15 “Lower Decks”. The episode featured four Lower Deckers: Ensigns Sam Lavelle, Sito Jaxa, Taurik, and Alyssa Ogawa. The episode was a rare glimpse into the competitive lives of lower-ranking crew and how they interact with command officers and crew.

This unique concept in Star Trek canon (introduced by TNG) was expanded in the adult animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks. Lower Decks also featured four young ensigns: Beckett Mariner, Brad Boimler, D'Vana Tendi, and Sam Rutherford of the USS Cerritos. This young crew is training and working their way (although unorthodox and pushing the boundaries of Starfleet regulation at the time), up the ranks from junior officers to full-fledged command officers in their designed departments of interest.

Additionally, the concept of water-dwelling crew members was first mentioned in TNG (S5, E21 "The Perfect Mate") when La Forge attempted to distract an annoying Ferengi - encouraging him to visit the dolphins in an apparent Cetacean Ops facility on board the USS Enterprise-D. In a continuity of TNG Star Trek canon, the beluga whales officers (Kimolu and Matt) on board the USS Cerritos' Cetacean Ops have been displayed in various episodes. Cetacean Ops crew members are responsible for stellar navigation, utilizing their natural spatial awareness of an aquatic species.

Star Trek: Prodigy (2021-2024)

The youth animated series Star Trek: Prodigy explores a crew of teen aliens ( Dal R'El – a human augmented hybrid, Gwyndala – a Vau N'Akat who repelled from her father to join the crew, Rok-Tahk – a Brikar with an innocent charm a stone-like course skin, Jankom Pog – a Tellarite engineer, Zero – a Medusan and non-corporeal lifeform, and Murf – a Mellanoid slim worm who is indestructible) escaping a penile planet in the stolen Protostar class starship, the USS Protostar.

Prodigy has several crossover character arcs from TNG, such as Wesley Crusher who became a time-traveling being who guided Dal R'El through the vision of his future, Admiral Jellico who appears as a Starfleet leader; Thadiun Okano a freighter captain who makes a guest appearance, and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Wesley’s mother) makes an appearance as well.

TNG Movies

Throughout the years after its first run on series TV, TNG has had several cinematic interpretations that have influenced Star Trek canon in movies such as Star Trek: Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998), and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002).

Each of these movies has to varying degrees influenced and pushed the boundaries of Star Trek canon in their way. In Generations, we see the death of Captain Kirk marking the end of the TOS era, the destruction of the USS Enterprise-D, and the introduction to the USS Enterprise-E.

In First Contact we see the introduction of the Borg Queen and Earth's first warp-speed flight and first contact with an alien species – The Vulcans. In Insurrection we see Starfleet push the boundaries of their ethics and standards regarding the forced relocation of a species and we also see Data's further exploration into his understanding and coping with emotion. In Nemesis, we see the Shinzon, the Romulan clone of Picard, and his struggle with identity, and we also see Data's sacrifice and emotion end the later influences, Picard, as well the Romulan political unrest that sets the stage for the Romulan instability leading to the events in Picard.

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy

Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premiering in late 2025 or 2026 as Starfleet rebuilds in the 32nd Century from the devastation of The Burn events in Discovery. It eliminated almost all of the Starfleet personnel. Although Starfleet Academy has been briefly shown TOS and movies, in "The First Duty" (S5, E19) of TNG we first see an episode-long detailed view of the Star Fleet Academy grounds, quarters, and cadet protocols.

In passing on the baton way, TNG has also influenced this future series spin-off from Discovery that will certainly expand Star Trek canon on Starfleet cadet training & instruction, academy protocols & procedures, and most interesting for me is a possible new interpretation of Kobayashi Maru (Starfleet no-win scenario to test future captain’s reaction to facing death).

TNG influence on the Star Trek Universe is expansive, significant, and indelible with spin-off series ties, crossover characters, and direct contacts supporting the notion that Star Trek: The Next Generation has had a more consequential impact on Star Trek canon than any series since TOS.