Part II, Chapter XXVII: "When at Tenagra..."
“Although many would say that we peaked in the fourth season, it’s quite easy to argue that the fifth was more important going forward. A lot of plot elements, and even a couple of characters that would be used in later series got their start here. Personally, it had my favourite part of the entire show, where we gave the longer arc a trial run with the Klingon Civil War. But then, there was a reason I became known among the staff as ‘the Klingon guy’.”
- Ronald D. Moore, taken from
All Good Things, a 2015 documentary on the production of
Star Trek: The Next Generation. [1]
Season five was to be a groundbreaker for
The Next Generation. Talks of a spinoff, provisionally titled
Deep Space Nine, led many of the writers using the season as a ‘testing ground’ for concepts that they wished to bring in to the new show. Most notable of these were the longer arc surrounding the Klingon Civil War, and the character of Ensign Ro Laren, who was envisioned as a main character on the show.
Regrettably, during the release of the season, and the filming of the episode “Hero Worship”, the franchise’s creator, Gene Roddenberry, would pass away. Filming would temporarily be halted, and a memorial for Gene would be held in November, with many high profile guests, including many cast members from the franchise.
While the first episode of the season would resolve the cliffhanger of the “Redemption, Part I”, the arc itself would not be resolved until a few episodes later, as the writers felt that the effects of such an important event in universe could not be covered sufficiently in two episodes. The Klingon Civil War would start a much longer arc involving the Romulans that would be continued in the two part story “Unification” later in the series, which would also see the appearance of Leonard Nimoy as Spock. [2]
Many of the show's most memorable stories were in the fifth season, in particular “Darmok” and “The Inner Light”, both of which remain fan favourites. Again, the show would have a story that was considered controversial at the time, “The Outcast”. The story would feature Commander Riker falling in love with Soren, a member of an androgynous species that forgoes gender. Over the course of the story, it would be revealed that Soren feels an inclination to be male, but that deviations from the genderless are taboo in his society. The climax of the episode would feature Riker attempting to stop the forced conversion therapy of Soren, potentially going against the Prime Directive in the process.
The episode served as a thinly veiled allegory for the treatment of the transgender community at the time, many of whom were forced to undergo conversion therapy, and were faced with prejudice by a large portion of society. In addition, it revealed that the character of Commander Riker was bisexual, something done at actor Jonathan Frakes’ insistence. [3]
By the fifth season, the main cast had settled firmly into their roles, and no main cast changes would occur. However, some minor changes in the supporting cast would occur. Perhaps most notable would be the addition of Ensign Ro Laren, portrayed by Michelle Forbes. Envisioned as a potential main character on the upcoming
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, she was to provide a more aggressive foil to some of the main cast. [4]
Star Trek: The Next Generation’s fifth season would begin airing in September of 1991.
[1] Genuine nickname Moore had, due to the number of Klingon stories he wrote. Season 5 will set up a LOT of things for the future.
[2] There's a few more guest stars this season, more big names at the very least.
[3] I'll post a little update ater this to explain just why this part is so important to me (although I'd imagine that you could easily guess). It's a bit too long winded to put here in the footnotes.
[4] I have plans for Ensign Ro down the line. This season marks the end of story being primarily OTL. I have Trek planned until the modern day, and it takes a somewhat different path.