Part II, Chapter LII: "Coming to an End."
“With all of the drama that happened behind the scenes, with Marina and Rick and everything else, I sometimes forgot that we were actually making a TV show. There’s no doubt that all of the behind the scenes events that happened that season had an effect on the show, and I think that that’s why season eight is considered a weaker season than most of the others. Sometimes, it really was difficult to keep your head on straight on set that season.”
- Jonathan Frakes, on
The Next Generation’s final season.
The eighth and final season of
Star Trek: The Next Generation would be very important for the franchise. Aside from acting as the closing part to one of the most popular shows on television, the drama that had occurred during its production had left many fans worried about the quality of the final season. This season would not only be a send-off for the cast of
The Next Generation, but also Rick Berman.
This season would be a full return to the episodic format, with no major arcs over the whole season, though the finale would see the return of Q’s “Trial of Humanity”. As a result, it would be the only season of the show to feature the Enterprise-E for the entire season, as it had been introduced partway through season seven.
The eighth season, overall, received mixed reviews, as it was clear that the disputes among the cast and crew had adversely affected production in some areas. Some episodes were noted af feeling “rushed”, though the finale, “Past Perfect” was critically acclaimed. Many of the stories that introduced elements of
Star Trek: Odyssey were less well received, with many noting that there was no real requirement for them, complaints that have only become more pronounced with time. However, many of the stories were praised, as was the character development in the season.
List of Episodes of Season Eight of Star Trek: The Next Generation:
- Forgiveness (Part II)
- All The King’s Men [1]
- Liaisons
- Medical Emergency [2]
- Genesis
- Land of Luxury
- The Iceman [3]
- The First Duty
- Descent (Part I)
- Descent (Part II)
- An Uneasy Peace [4]
- End Times [5]
- Eye of the Beholder
- Finding Yourself [6]
- The Excellence Invasion
- Bloodlines
- Straight on ‘Til Morning [7]
- Turn To Stone
- Firstborn
- The Monsters We Create [8]
- Arm-in-Arm
- Someone To Watch Over Us [9]
- Sibling Rivalry
- Preemptive Strike [10]
- Past Perfect (Part I)
- Past Perfect (Part II)
Bold denotes a story written by @The Chimera Virus
Cast of Season Eight of Star Trek: The Next Generation:
- Captain Julien Picard – Patrick Stewart
- Commander William Riker – Jonathan Frakes
- Lt. Cmdr. Data – Brent Spiner
- Dr. Amelia Henderson – Stephanie Beacham
- Lt. Cmdr. Geordi La Forge – LeVar Burton
- Counsellor (Lt. Cmdr./Cmdr.) Deanna Troi – Marina Sirtis
- Lt. Worf – Michael Dorn
- Lt. (j.g.) Ro Laren – Michelle Forbes
With the end of
The Next Generation, the cast would move on to take over the films, starting with
Star Trek VI: Generations, which would be released in November of 1995. The end of an era had come.
[1] A story about the consequences of your actions, a reference to the book of the same name.
[2] The previously mentioned EMH creation story
[3] OTL's "Thine Own Self", but it couldn't be called that because of Season Seven's "To Thine Own Self Be True".
[4] End of the Cardassian border war, introduction of the colonist's issues. No Maquis yet, but we do meet Gul Evek.
[5] The Enterprise encounters a planet that is undergoing a preventable sxtinction event, but refuses involvement as it has been foretold in their prophecies.
[6] An away team suffers an incident that causes them to believe that they are other members of the party.
[7] The Enterprise encounters a warp-capable species that encountered an Earth probe, and believes humanity to be a greater life form than them.
[8] OTL's "Journey's End", but with some major differences due to no Leslie Crusher.
[9] Lt. Ro has an external performance review, where her more impuslive and insubordinate tendencies are noted. It covers why she joined Starfleet.
[10] Different from OTL in that Ro doesn't defect.