All language subtitles for The.Center.Seat.55.Years.Of.Star.Trek.S01E05.Queue.For.Q.720p.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-squalor[eztv.re]

[Kirk] These are the voyages
of the starship enterprise.

[Woman] By the mid-'80s,

gene roddenberry's original
"wagon train to the stars"

was still rumbling
along on syndicated TV.

The ratings are actually better,

and people were
watching the show now

for the third, fourth,
fifth, sixth, seventh time.

"Star Trek" was no longer

simply a canceled
TV show on loop.

Three lucrative movies had
transformed the franchise

into a blockbuster.

"Star Trek ii", "III", and "iv"
are just really great movies.

But when it came
to this wagon train,

gene had already fallen off.

He had been screwed over,

and he wasn't getting
any ownership money.

Paramount was
rejecting his scripts.

They saw him as the enemy.

Relegated to the sidelines,

gene could only join
the growing audience

and watch as "Star
Trek" took off without him.

So beam aboard and hold on tight

as we boldly go into
the depths of "Star Trek."

And you can see it all from
here in "the center seat."

Take us home.

1986, "voyage
home" is a huge hit.

[Kirk] Everybody
remember where we parked.

"Star Trek" was heating up.

"Star Trek" is the
most profitable property

that Paramount has.

It may have been profitable,

but Paramount
wasn't admitting it,

at least not to gene.

Gene roddenberry
owned 28% of "Star Trek,"

and shatner owned 5%.

Which sounds like more than
a little...[Cash register dings]

But, in fact...

Neither of them
had gotten a penny.

Paramount's excuse:
"Star Trek" was penniless.

Paramount said it's in the red.

It's the most successful
show in reruns.

It's now out on home
video. It's in the red?

Gene knew "Star
Trek" was a gold mine,

and if he needed
any confirmation,

it came to him one
day on the golf course.

Gene was golfing one day
with one of the studio lawyers,

and the lawyer said, "let's
make the next hole interesting."

Gene says, "let's
make it really interesting.

How about my
royalties on "Star Trek"?

And they both laughed, and
gene says, "what do you think

those royalties would
really be worth?"

And the lawyer looks one
way and looks the other way.

Says about, "probably
about 30 million."

And more was to come

because Paramount
wanted to bring "Star Trek"

back to the small
screen with a new show.

The stations were
pushing to bring it back,

and we had tried to
relaunch it in '81, '82, '83,

but it never really happened.

So for the next few years,
they're going back and forth.

"We wanna bring
'Star Trek' back."

The next generation
of "Star Trek"

was going to require the
next generation of executives.

My name is lucie salhany.

Lucie and her
colleagues had an idea

that had never
been tried before.

Let us syndicate.

Selling a brand-new "Star Trek"

straight into syndication.

That means selling a
show station by station.

We will sell the original '79,

and we will sell them
the new "Star Trek."

Local stations got
their new "Star Trek,"

and Paramount kept
a share of advertising.

So we'll have this
foundation of money

from the original TV show

and the advertising revenue
from the new "Star Trek,"

and that's how we
paid for the show.

[Whistles] Incredible.

A new television business model

would enable the next
generation of "Star Trek."

"Star Trek" broke
the mold again.

But what would they
call this next generation?

We just kept talking
about this next generation.

I don't even know
how it came up,

but that's how we
named the show.

It was "Star Trek," colon,
"the next generation."

The colon never
made it to screen,

but "Star Trek the
next generation"

was heading back into space.

We believed in "Star Trek."

We believed it was the time.

We believed space was
going to be an important part

of what people were
thinking and talking about.

And we believed
in gene roddenberry.

But gene no longer
believed in Paramount.

So when it came to
agreeing for a new show,

before signing up,
gene lawyered up.

He realized that Paramount
needed "Star Trek,"

and he needed a strong lawyer.

Gene's lawyer was a
lot more than just strong.

Gene's lawyer
was, to put it politely,

one of the most despicable,
detestable, vile human beings

I've ever, ever had to
deal with in any way.

But there was one very notable
thing about gene's lawyer.

He knew how to work a deal.

Gene and his lawyer,
Leonard maizlish,

had negotiated a deal.

Not just any deal.

He wrote a contract

that said roddenberry would
get a percentage of the ownership,

that he would get
paid by specific dates,

and that he would get
to inspect the books.

What are we gonna call
this new series, gene?

I'll just put down "Star Trek."

So Leonard writes the contract.

The president of Paramount
signs it and everything else.

He says, "congratulations.

Good to have you
back in the family."

- Gene says...
- "By the way,

I'm gonna have my
accountant call next week

to look at the books."

- He says, "excuse me?"
- He says, "no, really."

"We're gonna audit 'Star Trek.'"

"no, gene, there
aren't any books.

We haven't started
doing the show yet."

And gene says,
"look at my contract.

You just gave me the right.

The new contract
has auditing rights."

Leonard maizlish didn't put

"Star Trek the next generation."

He put "Star Trek,"
and they signed it.

So gene now had the
right to inspect the books

from the original "Star Trek."

Paramount knew all too well

the story those
books could tell,

and suddenly instead of
a penniless "Star Trek,"

it was pennies from
heaven for gene.

"We'll give you a
million-dollar payout right now."

A Rolls-Royce was delivered
to his office at Paramount

and hands him the keys to
a brand-new Rolls-Royce.

And hands him a check.

A bonus for signing
with "Star Trek,"

and then we'll pay you

an enormous amount
of money each week.

That's what Leonard maizlish

was able to do for
gene roddenberry.

So thanks to gene's lawyer...

He's getting an enormous
amount of money.

I don't know how
much, but it was a lot.

And as a result,

gene roddenberry was always
indebted to Leonard maizlish

and gave him a lot of power.

But since Leonard the lawyer

had no power over
creative matters,

and with gene a bit
under the weather...

He was having health issues.
His best years were behind him.

And so he asked his
two most trusted writers

from the original
series for help.

We asked Dorothy and
he asked David gerrold

to prepare the "Bible."

This was the perfect opportunity

to reimagine "Star Trek."

"Oh, great. We
can fix the stardates.

We can fix the warp speed.

We can fix all of the stuff
that was inconsistent."

- A manifest.
- Yes, sir.

If he was going to
write the show Bible,

David was going to
write a new testament.

Let's have an older,
more thoughtful captain

who doesn't beam down
and put himself in danger.

- The away team's ready, sir.
- Energize.

And gene says,
"oh, I like that."

And gene says, "well, we
need a Spock character."

That is wise.

"Well, we can't have a vulcan."

I am an Android. Though,
anatomically, I am a male.

- Huh.
- "Let's do the opposite."

I seem to have reached
an odd functional impasse.

"Let's have an Android who
wants to learn how to be human."

Intriguing.

I just, you know, took
a shot and did my best

and happy to have a job.

Some of David's
ideas were truly radical.

And I said, "we could have
a klingon on the bridge."

[Laughing]

- Gene said no.
- Impossible.

But gene was
clinging on to the past.

Dorothy came along later.

She said, "let's have
a klingon in the crew."

- Gene said no.
- So gene had doubled down

on no klingons,

but he did want original
series writing legend

D.C. Fontana's way with words.

He asked me would I
please write the pilot script,

"encounter at
farpoint," and I said fine.

This farpoint station
will be an excellent test.

We were telling people

don't suggest putting a klingon
on the ship. Gene says no.

When we get to
"encounter at farpoint,"

and Dorothy writes it where
Tasha yar is in command.

Yar here.

And gene rewrites it

and introduces the
character of worf...

I'm lieutenant worf.

So he won't have to have a
woman in the command chair.

And suddenly, David and Fontana
had their klingon on the bridge.

But gene had burned
a bridge in the process.

He added to my pilot script,

and that was the first thing
that was a little disappointing.

I see. I see.

He added all the stuff
that had to do with q.

We call ourselves the q.

Gene took her script, and
he adds the character of q

who is now testing
the enterprise.

Gene only had one story.

We meet god, and we
beat the crap out of him.

The same old
story all over again.

Gene had a long history of
playing god with the scripts.

Which I didn't
particularly care for,

but it's not my choice.

This time gene was not
just rewriting the script.

He was rewriting the deal.

I had to share that
script credit with him.

He said, "the studio
wants my name on it,

and this is Leonard
maizlish's doing."

Dorothy was furious
gene had lied to her,

and he now was getting half
the credit and half the money

on this script.

Having being pushed
aside on her own pilot,

gene threw Fontana a
small but lucrative bone.

And this is where
it gets really ugly.

She could write the
story as she saw fit

but not for TV, for a book.

Publishing was
gonna give $30,000

for the novelization.

Dorothy promptly
wrote the novelization

of her own episode.

And Dorothy had
written a novelization.

- She was done with it.
- But no matter how evil

her own villain in the book,
it was nothing compared

to what Leonard the
lawyer had planned.

She was gonna turn it in,
and Leonard maizlish said,

"we're taking the
novelization away from you."

And he comes to me and
says, "would you like to do

the novelization of
'encounter at farpoint'?"

So I said, "yeah.
I can do that."

But Leonard maizlish
was about to hit a roadblock

made of solid loyalty, and
his name was David gerrold.

And then I go to Dorothy.
Very privately, I said,

"I know you finished the book,

and I know what
Leonard has done.

Give me your book.

I'll turn it in and
give you the money."

I would do anything
for Dorothy Fontana.

If Leonard is gonna screw
her, he has to go through me.

[McFadden] Eighteen earth years

since its last
primetime adventure,

"Star Trek" was finally
launching a new mission.

Gene roddenberry wanted
to make a "Star Trek"

that was different from
what he had done in the '60s.

Break us out of orbit and
continue to our next assignment.

But this next
generation "Star Trek"

posed a next-level challenge.

We must proceed in our own way.

How to reshape the
franchise for a new generation

without losing touch
with "Star Trek's" roots.

Every "Star Trek" begins

with, "how to we make
it exactly like the others

except totally different?"

Gene was very proud
of what he had done

on the original series,

but he wasn't afraid
to shake things up.

Everything was
up for renegotiation.

The set design. The costumes.
The makeup. The hair design.

Everything had to be
created new and invented.

Including a new and
redesigned enterprise.

It seemed like
everything was new.

Gene had a very definite
directive to me... no pistols.

These phasers have been retuned.

Which led to a
few new questions.

How do you hold an energy weapon

if it's not like a gun?
Then it's like a flashlight.

- Hold it right there!
- I think the first time

I pulled out my phaser,

I went... Bzzz. You
know, like, I made a noise.

Ships and guns were one thing,

but what about the
people to control them?

"Star Trek" had to
find a new leader,

and that person had
some big boots to fill.

You're from outer space.

No, I'm from Iowa. I
only work in outer space.

Gene wanted to have
everything be not original series.

And so what's
the totally opposite

you can be of an Iowa farm boy?

Is a French guy.

I'm captain Jean-Luc
picard of the USS enterprise.

But it's a long way
from Iowa to Paris.

Well, we were used to shatner.

The expectation is you're
gonna get somebody like him.

A far bigger problem
was who should play

this aristocratic frenchman.

What the devil am I doing here?

How many French
actors are we gonna read?

The answer was obvious.

- I'll agree.
- An englishman, of course.

When they came
up... [Laughs] With him,

we went, "oh, my god."

Gene roddenberry
was unconvinced.

Gene didn't want
Patrick Stewart.

He felt there was something
missing about Patrick Stewart.

Gene didn't like the
fact that he was hairless.

Gene wanted it to be somebody

who looked like Jeffrey
hunter or William shatner.

That standard
American leading man.

Gene felt "Star Trek" would
be losing touch with its roots

if it cast a captain
that didn't have any.

But he was abundant
with something else.

He had a gravitas.

All right!

Gene was so impressed
by his acting. He said okay.

But if gene loved
Patrick's smooth acting,

he still wasn't a fan
of his smooth head.

- Damn.
- This bald guy shows up

looking for the hair department.

With this very
proper English accent,

he says, "hi. I'm
Patrick Stewart."

And he has this box.

In the box were
wigs for a hair test.

Because gene roddenberry,

he was not about to
have a bald captain.

Who's to say whether
Patrick Stewart

passed or failed the hair test?

It was a little
bit of a shocker.

But then someone
had a bright idea.

Why not let him
just be what he is?

It won't be compared to
the original "Star Trek."

- As simple as that.
- Of course.

What Patrick Stewart
lacked was not a problem.

It was the solution.

If they tried to get
somebody like shatner,

it's gonna kill the show.

We need somebody different
that people will talk about.

Patrick Stewart's
skull was the least

of "Star Trek's"
casting problems.

Creating that
ensemble, it's a bitch.

85% of the success of
your show is your casting.

But not to worry because...

Gene had a superpower,
and it was casting.

He would go with
his gut feeling.

He will triumph who
knows when to fight.

With the men, he
looked for people

who were capable
of heroic deeds.

And for the women...

Gene was always
looking for women

who had a certain presence,

and you can see
it with Marina sirtis

and gates McFadden.

Their presence is compelling.

Dr. Crusher.

Captain.

As for my presence,
yes, that's me.

I almost wasn't even
present at my audition.

I'd come out to L.A.
for something else,

and I was on my
way back to the airport

where my agent said, "please
go to Paramount and audition."

"Well, what's the part?"
She said, "just go. Just go."

I went there, and they said,
"any of the women's roles."

Doctor, all I've got is...

Is an order to
report to sick bay.

From the only person
aboard this ship

who can give you an order.

I thought it was
a big step forward

for women in command positions.

The fact that she was a mother

and had to deal with
her child on the ship.

Mom, could you get
me a look at the bridge?

All of those things were
why I ultimately said yes.

Mr. Crusher.

"Star Trek's" first single mom

would bring with her

"Star Trek's" first
series regular teenager.

I'm with starfleet.

Gene really wanted a
character that kids could relate to.

Breathe. Got to
remember to breathe.

I was a super weird kid.

I was shy.

And I just felt so
seen by "Star Trek."

So when I had an opportunity
to become part of "Star Trek,"

I was so nervous

that I went in there,
and I just sucked.

- I wasn't prepared at all.
- I just blew it, and I left,

and I was like, "well,
I just lost that job."

Do you judge your
condition good?

I judge it excellent, sir.

Denise Crosby entered
through the back door

thanks to a
last-minute brainstorm.

Originally, I was reading
for the part of counselor troi.

I came in and read
for Rick berman

and gene roddenberry,
and gene said,

"would you mind reading
the part of Tasha yar?"

As security chief, I can't
just stand here and let...

Yes, you can, lieutenant yar.

And gene said, "I see
it suddenly differently."

Wesley.

I haven't stepped one
foot on your bridge, captain.

And for will wheaton,
the door didn't shut.

Casting had called and said,

"this wasn't what
we know he can be.

We just want him to come back
and take another swing at it."

Sit down over there, young man.

I went back, and I didn't suck.

That never happens.

I'm really lucky
and really grateful.

Generosity has always
been my... Weakness.

John De lancie's casting as q

came from the
unlikely combination

of daytime TV, heart surgery,

and a lawyer pretending
to be someone else.

A guy walks out. He said,
"I'm one of the producers."

He actually wasn't.
He was gene's lawyer.

Leonard the lawyer was back...

- [Horn honks]
- As a producer?

He said, "this is a payback.

Four or five years ago,
I was flat on my back

with a quadruple
bypass operation.

Every day I would watch you."

I had been on a soap opera.

You should have seen
the smile on her face.

"And you made me laugh
when I thought I was gonna die."

Leonard maizlish brought me in,

and I was there at 6:00
in the morning on Monday.

Another brilliant suggestion.

The question for
the producers was,

how would all of this play
in the kingdom of fandom?

There was an actual protest
about "the next generation."

"You're never going to
replace kirk and Spock.

You can't wipe away kirk
and Spock and McCoy for us.

You know, the fans...
And they just thought

we were killing the sacred cow.

Leonard nimoy said that,

"how many times can you
create lightning in a bottle?"

It is possible

but absolutely no
margin for error.

Lightning or not,

things did get a little
rattled come opening night.

When the show aired,
when I saw that crane shot

and it came in like this...

[Laughs] I went, "oh, dear.

This show isn't
gonna go anywhere."

The first episode,
"encounter at farpoint,"

went shakily into the unknown
on September 28, 1987.

"Encounter at farpoint,"
to me, is a strange hybrid.

It's way too long.
It's two hours,

and it's really only got
enough story for an hour.

It's kind of undisciplined
and loose-limbed.

It kind of flops around a bit.

I don't see no points
on your ears, boy,

but you sound like a vulcan.

But something about
this loose-limbed,

ill-disciplined
behemoth struck a chord.

The early returns
were phenomenal,

far beyond what anybody
thought they would be,

and we knew we had a
major hit on our hands.

A feeling of great joy...

It sure was.

And gratitude.

[McFadden] Despite
a shaky debut,

"Star Trek the next
generation" was an instant hit.

I feel strange, but also good.

This brand-new chapter
was a breath of fresh air

for gene roddenberry's
aging franchise.

Hello, stranger.

But then the air went stale.

The third episode
was the one, I think,

where, as a viewer,
I stopped watching.

The dreaded "code of honor."

Episode 3 arrived with
a storyline so loaded,

it looked like unexploded
ordinates from another time.

We go to the all-black planet,
and I've got to fight the woman?

He's gonna take the white
woman as his new wife.

We were like, "are
we really doing this?"

Yep. They did.

"Star Trek" [bleep] Up in a
really, really, really bad way.

There is no doubt in my mind

that the cast would've pushed
back if it was later in the run.

Some of the people who
could have made a difference

would have just
refused to go to work.

Is the same kind of
pompous, strutting charades

that endangered our own
species a few centuries ago.

I was scratching my head
thinking there's no way

this is gonna get on
the air. There's no way.

If they had not had a
guarantee of two seasons,

this show would not have
gotten passed the first season.

I am programmed in
multiple techniques,

a broad variety of pleasuring.

That first season
was all over the map.

- [Screaming]
- [Laughing]

This show is trying
to figure out what it is

on a very basic level.

How close to the original
series should we be

and how different should we be?

It's almost just like they're
throwing things at the wall

and seeing What'll stick.

Coordinates sent in, captain.

- Speed?
- Warp five.

For the actors, the only thing

more uncomfortable than the
storylines were the costumes.

- Nice suit.
- Thank you.

There were some costume choices

where I'd go, "oh, my
god. This is terrible."

Splendid. Splendid.

We finished our
ski lessons, sir.

I hated Wesley's sweaters.

I hated the colors.
They were baggy.

They were weird.
Like, I just felt awkward.

The gray spacesuit.

Wardrobe built a big muscle
suit that I had to wear underneath.

I hated that thing so much.

It was so uncomfortable.
It was always too tight.

But some costumes
were ill-fitting

in ways wardrobe couldn't fix.

What do you think?

Gene brought bill theiss,

his original "Star
Trek" designer.

Bill theiss was a lovely man.

But you look at his costumes,

you think you're looking
at the original series.

These costumes
hadn't really evolved.

You should get into uniform.

Even the standard
issue was so problematic,

it was affecting
actors' performances.

The tail was wagging the dog.

The costumes for
the permanent cast

on "the next generation"
were lycra one-piece suits,

and they wreaked
havoc on the cast

because they would
pull on their body

and force the actors
into a hunched position.

When you sit down
in that spacesuit,

the tunic rides up.

Patrick started
dramatically tucking it down,

and they call it the
picard maneuver.

Costumer designer Bob blackman
came to the rescue in season 2

with a new two-piece number

that saw "Star Trek"
returning to its military themes.

I looked at the second world
war and saw Dwight eisenhower

in his little jacket that
was fashioned just for him.

And I said, "let me take that
silhouette and work with that."

And that's how we came
up with the two-piecer.

The cast was most
grateful for that.

Over in the writers' room,

another generational
battle was playing out,

and the disagreements
were over more than style.

Gene ran it in a very
hodgepodge kind of way.

People would bring him stories.

He would give it then to
everybody to get notes,

and it was very odd.

Even stranger was
who gene brought in

as script doctor.

Leonard maizlish, his attorney,
was doing a lot of the writing.

[Horn honks]

They didn't like
Leonard maizlish at all,

and they didn't want
him rewriting their scripts.

Gene's lawyer had proved he
knew how to write a contract,

but when it came to scripts,
he'd already lost the room.

Everybody hated maizlish
except gene roddenberry.

And gene's lawyer-slashed-
producer-slashed-writer

was stepping on some
very esteemed toes.

As a story editor, I was
not terribly well treated.

Things went over my head
that I could have had input in.

Dorothy Fontana has
written a lot of great scripts,

and she should
have been a producer.

Dorothy wasn't the only

high-ranking woman
feeling overlooked.

- Is that an order, doctor?
- Yes.

I often felt very lost
and very out of place.

I thought I was
captain of this starship.

Of course you are, but i...

Thank you for the
confirmation, doctor.

"Star Trek" in that era...
In the late '80s, early '90s...

Was a boys club.

As for the girls club,
well, there wasn't one.

There was never, like, the
women just got together,

because we never
had a scene together.

And if we did, we'd always
be something almost comical.

We would be hitting someone
on the head with a pot.

The power struggle on set

mirrored the turf war
raging among the producers

as gene fought
to retain control.

That is to say, his lawyer did.

The studio execs.

Every time they would tell gene
how much they like my work,

the lawyer would panic...

"oh, my god. They're gonna fire
gene and put in David gerrold."

And so gene would
end up balling me out.

The one I feel bad
for is David gerrold

because he never even
got his name on the screen.

I mean, he wrote the Bible.

He came up with some
of those characters.

They asked me, "do you
want the credit or the money?"

I said, "I'll take the money."

Others chose to take the exit.

I stayed for the first 13
episodes, and then I left.

It was not a terribly
happy experience.

Gene should have hired
me and Dorothy as producers,

and instead, his
despicable lawyer

brought in a lot of people

who didn't know what
"Star Trek" was at all.

But in the end, David knew the
rules better than gene's lawyer.

And so the writer turned lawyer.

Leonard was doing
producer-level work on the show

when he wasn't qualified,

and this was a violation
of writers guild rules.

[McFadden] With this "Star
Trek" villain vanquished,

"Star Trek" the next generation

continued its
syndicated success.

However, some
members of the crew

were on their last legs.

I actually asked them,

"could you make a
mock-up of my legs?"

And the reason
for such a request...

You're always on Patrick
and these guys down here,

so you just really see my
legs up there. I can go home.

Denise decided it
was time for home

after her request for better
Tasha yar stories was rebuffed.

Gene. He was the one
who really said to me

the stories are gonna focus

on the captain, the
first officer, and data.

It's, you know,
shatner, Spock, bones.

When in Rome, we'll
do as the romans do.

"It's a formula that works,
and I'm gonna stick with that."

So gene made firm plans
to dispense with Tasha yar.

He said, "I want this
character to be killed.

I've never done
it." And he said,

"the only problem is you
won't be able to come back."

- I warn you.
- I said, "yeah. Go for it."

And so finally Tasha yar got
to be the center of attention...

- As she lay dying.
- [Beeping]

[Picard] What's
lieutenant yar's condition?

You know, it's such an
anticlimactic, you know, death.

- [Rapid beeping]
- Dr. Crusher, report!

- [Long, sustained beep]
- She's dead.

That, by the way, was
just making my character

look like an unlicensed doctor.

There were so many
people who died on my table.

[Sighs] Damn.

I remember Patrick saying,

"don't let her touch you.
Her patients die." [Laughs]

- How's your patient, doctor?
- Not good.

It's a running joke, you know.

It's like, "I don't know about
crusher, how good she was."

You are here now
watching this image of me

because I've died.

But Tasha yar's final moments

would not be Denise's
final moments on set.

So "symbiosis" was
the last script that I shot,

and obviously they reversed 'em.

For that, she prepared
an easter egg...

- [Bell dings]
- And laid it right on camera.

I waved goodbye in the camera.

I'm waving goodbye to the fans.

The fans and
everyone, there she is.

But Denise wasn't alone in
wanting more for her character.

Hey, mom, look what I can do.

I thought we were gonna have
some really great development

between Wesley
crusher and Dr. Crusher

because she was a
scientist, he was this genius.

You never seemed that
interested in warp theory before.

It always broke my heart

that we didn't get to
have those scenes.

Second season head
writer Maurice Hurley

wanted more action, too,

but not for his
female characters.

What do you want?

And he wanted the big
adventure, the big conflict,

not so much interested
in human dynamics,

characterization,
that kind of thing.

Maurice Hurley.

Yeah, that old-school,
cigar-chomping TV writer.

The bottom line is
he was very sexist.

He wrote women
in lazy, tropey ways.

I argued a lot about
it with Maurice Hurley,

and I think I was
not very diplomatic.

You know, he just was
not... Not happy with her.

I think I really,
really upset him.

And I heard later that he
said either she goes or I go.

You are excused, doctor.

And so it was Dr. Crusher

who was put into the
transporter to nowhere.

He was a producer/writer,

so obviously the actor
could be easily replaced.

Nobody was cool with it.

I recall the cast
being angry about it.

So having killed the doctor,
producer sent for the doctor.

- Doctor. Doctor.
- This doctor.

Dr. Katherine pulaski.

I just got the call and
went in, talked to gene,

and he said, "would
you be interested

in playing a doctor on
"the next generation"?

And I said yes.

- Well, that was easy.
- I'd like to help.

I only agreed to do
it 'cause I was doing

a totally different character.

- I'm Dr. Jones.
- Different to the doctor

she played way back when,
when a female doctor on TV

was something to
get excited about...

Of course, Dr. McCoy.
Please, don't worry about me.

And not just for bones.

I based my character on bones.

Wow. What do you know.

And a lot of fans
picked up on that.

Close, but different.

While that satisfied
the true fans,

"Star Trek" was about to
receive a fan request like no other.

Well, everyone's
very curious about you.

Yes, I'll bet they are.

We got a call from
whoopi goldberg

saying that she
wanted to be considered

taking Denise's role
as the head of security.

But with the chance to
have a big Hollywood star

in their show, they had
other plans for whoopi.

Whoopi wasn't really the
head of security type for us.

And gene and I sat
down, and we discussed it

and thought, "what a great
idea to have a bartender."

- Guinan.
- Captain.

But even as a humble bartender,

whoopi's megastar power
was quietly saving "Star Trek."

With experience.

A major movie star at
the peak of her career

decided to do this show.

I think we became legit when
whoopi came on the show.

It could have been your timing.

My timing is digital.

Others would soon be departing.

I was very happy at the end
of the year to say bye-bye.

I would not have
stayed for more.

- [Interviewer] Can I ask why?
- No.

I don't need to hear what
you don't need to say.

"Star Trek's" doctors
were going down

faster than their patients,

and fans were clamoring
for the return of Dr. Crusher,

so that's where I
come in... Again.

I was at starfleet
medical for a year.

I missed about
two inches of him.

It took some convincing,
but when the captain calls...

I got a call from
Patrick. He asked me

if I would please
consider coming back.

The return of Dr. Crusher
was a bone crusher

for head writer Maurice Hurley
who had previously said...

"Either she goes or I go."

Maurice, at the end
of the second season,

he voluntarily left the show.

One of the first
things that happened

at the beginning
of the third season

was let's bring gates back,

and Diana was
never spoken of again.

But just as the ship
began to steady on screen,

"Star Trek the next generation"

was forced to undergo a
changing of the guard at the top.

Gene realized that the
day-to-day running of the show

needed to be turned
to the next generation,

and that was Rick berman.

It happened slowly.

He got less and less involved
as his illness took over.

Rick berman was
a studio executive

who had a lot in
common with gene.

Gene felt he could trust him.

Gene's optimistic
attitude of the future

I always felt was
somewhat unrealistic.

But it was his attitude,

and I felt it was
my responsibility

to keep gene's optimism alive.

But the lone shadow
of "Star Trek's" creator

was putting "the next
generation" in the shade.

We'd have these very
acrimonious fights with Rick

about what "Star Trek" was.

"Gene would never do this in
a million years," he would say.

Rick was gonna defend
to his dying breath

what he thought gene
wanted "Star Trek" to be.

While Rick defended
gene's vision,

there was one subject matter

gene was willing to
explore that Rick wasn't.

At some point, gene mentions

that we're gonna have to
have a gay crew member.

And so in an episode
called "blood and fire"...

There's a scene
in "blood and fire"

where someone turns
to the gay crew member

and says, "how long have you
and Freeman been together?"

That was it. Rick
berman wrote a memo,

"we can't have gay
characters on "Star Trek"

because mommies
will write letters."

And I wrote a memo which says,

"gene promised gay crew
members on this enterprise.

If not now, when?"

One of the producers
sticks his head in my office

and says, "great memo.

You still have to take
the characters out."

David's groundbreaking
script was lost to history,

and with it went one of "Star
Trek's" most faithful servants.

That was the reason why I quit.

Because this is hypocrisy.

[McFadden] "Star Trek
the next generation"

had been on a merry-go-round
of casting chaos.

Well, it's nice to
be together again.

The balance of power was
shifting behind the scenes, too.

It was a switch at the
top of the writing staff.

Maurice Hurley had left,
and Michael piller came in.

Things really took a turn

and seemed to start
going in the right direction.

Can it be possible they
know what they're doing?

Well, by the show's
third year, maybe yes.

God bless Michael piller.
When he took the reins,

he really understood
the potential of the show

and understood storytelling
and science fiction.

The show is not about the ship.

This show is about riker
and picard and the characters.

It's about people.

But good characters
need good stories.

And halfway through season 3,

the only action the writers'
room had seen was industrial.

The writers' strike
had just ended.

There was not a full staff.

There was a point
where we had nothing.

But one thing "Star
Trek" still had was its fans.

And trekkers themselves
were about to intervene

in a way that would
restore the show they loved

and ultimately set
a new direction.

We invited absolute
unknowns and newcomers

to come in and
pitch story ideas.

If you wrote an actual script,

you could send it to Paramount
and somebody would read it.

If they thought it was good,

they might give
it to a producer.

One fan's script
caught the attention

of production
assistant Eric stillwell.

Trent guinino's script involved
an enterprise from the past.

That script didn't
make it to screen.

We had gone up
to Trent's hometown

for a "Star Trek" convention

where Denise
Crosby was the guest.

We were speaking to
her in the autograph line,

and she said, "you should write
an episode and bring me back."

- Tasha.
- Yeah.

But there was one small
issue to do with her being, um...

- What's the word?
- Dead.

That's it.

You know? I died. We know that.

Of course everyone knew that.

I'm not supposed
to be here, sir.

So Trent and I together
started hashing out

how can we bring Tasha
back 'cause she's dead.

Well, there was one way.
Time travel, of course.

So Eric traveled
across the hall.

I ran across the hall.
Started just cold pitching.

And Michael piller said...

Make it so. We'll
give you cover.

But it was still a
very basic idea.

They turned it over to Ron Moore

to Polish the story.

I took "yesterday's enterprise."

I really liked the idea
of the alternate timeline,

and it was a mention

like they had been at
war with the klingons.

But it wasn't front
and center of the story,

and I just thought, "oh,
that's the coolest part

is that they're at war.

Oh, well, that would
make it a darker universe,

and, like, everything would be
more war-like and militarized."

What's the matter
with the bridge?

This is not a ship of war.

This is a ship of peace.

Now the story had
become serious enough

that captain picard
had to whisper.

The war is going very
badly for the federation.

And they're not just at war,

but the federation's
actually losing.

The good guys are losing,

and it's all gonna
come crashing down.

And that gave this
episode the sense of stakes

and it made it a
bit of a tragedy.

You know, there's a doomed
sense to the world that you were in.

The federation has lost
more than half its starfleet

to the klingons.

And now with a
fleshed-out outline...

And, of course, I read it
and went, "this is fabulous.

This is great." And I
said, "I'm on board."

Where am I supposed to be?

Dead.

Producers now had their idea

and the actress
ready to play Lazarus.

But days from shooting, there
was still something missing.

We had no script.

Scrambling to put together
an ambitious episode...

There was just an outline
of what the thing was.

This was seven
days before we shot.

There was no time for any
one writer to do a complete draft.

We all wrote separately and
then stitched them together.

It's a real mess down here, sir.

Everybody was convinced
that it was just going to be

this hodgepodge,
horrible episode

that they had thrown
together at the last minute.

What ship is this, captain?

You're aboard the enterprise.

In the rush, the writers managed

to smuggle in some
"Star Trek" firsts.

Rachel Garrett. How's my ship?

Rachel Garrett was
breaking new ground

as "Star Trek's"
first female captain.

In the script, it
wasn't a woman.

I remember thinking at the time,

"it's weird that I'm
the one doing this.

How is this the first
time this has been done?"

We'll make it one
for the history books.

I wanted her to be every
bit as brave and heroic.

She had to be worthy
of picard and kirk.

Captain, I would be
lying to you if I told you

there was a chance in hell
of coming out of this alive.

Captain Garrett broke through
"Star Trek's" glass ceiling,

but, unfortunately,
also broke her head.

This is lieutenant yar, sir.
Captain Garrett is dead.

For the character of Tasha
yar, it was an unlikely win.

"Yesterday's enterprise"
became a redeeming episode

for Tasha's senseless death.

A death without purpose.

She even addresses
this very thing.

I'd like my death to
count for something.

I always make the joke,

"I had to die to
get a good script."

This isn't a joke, Tasha.

Just as this fan-sourced
episode reanimated Tasha yar,

it reinvigorated "the
next generation."

"Yesterday's enterprise"
is a very risky episode

that could have gone south
a thousand different ways,

but it worked.

- You're not part of my crew.
- I am now.

Captain picard approved
my request for transfer.

It was the first, in my
opinion, truly great episode

of "the next generation."

And I think it really
raised the profile

of "the next generation."

I think people
sat up, took note,

and took the show
more seriously.

Welcome aboard.

It seemed that "Star
Trek the next generation"

had finally found its
place in the universe.

[Picard] Space:
The final frontier.

These are the voyages
of the starship enterprise.

With the steady hands of
Michael piller and Rick berman

steering the ship,

"Star Trek the next generation"

had successfully extended
the franchise's mission.

[Picard] To boldly go where
no one has gone before.

[McFadden] But
behind the scenes,

personnel issues were
only getting more personal.

[Picard] Mr. Crusher,
report to the bridge.

I had this terrific opportunity
to go work in a featured film,

and Rick berman said,

"this is a really important
Wesley episode.

I have personally written an
extremely important scene.

It's a really important
part of the show.

Our hands are tied. He
has to pass on the film."

You're not involved
in this decision, boy.

After I had passed on the film

and the film had been recast,

he wrote me out of
the episode completely,

and I was furious.

Look, I have done everything

that everyone has
asked of me and more.

It hurt so much.

And after that happened,
I said to my agent,

"get me out of this contract.
Get me off the show.

I don't wanna work for
this person anymore."

It was another
unwelcome departure.

But then came the news

of an even more
significant loss.

It was during the fifth season

of "Star Trek the
next generation."

Sorry to interrupt,

but we're receiving an
emergency distress signal.

I'm on my way.

The producers received some news

that would stop
them in their tracks.

Rick got a phone call. He
took it and didn't say much.

And then he came back and
sat down with us and told us.

And...

He... he passed away.

One of the most
significant individuals ever

to impact television
was now gone.

Gene roddenberry died
suddenly on October 24, 1991,

25 years after the
launch of "Star Trek."

His memorial service, it
was a perfect send-off to him.

Hundreds and hundreds of people.

They had the blue
angels fly over at the end.

A handful of people
actually create something

that last 55 years. You know?

He managed to
create this iconic thing

that defines the best
part of the 20th century...

A vision of hope, a
vision of what could be,

a way to ask questions
about who we are

and what we're
up to in the world.

But even still, "Star
Trek" without gene?

It's heartbreaking.

It was a big deal for
the "Star Trek" family

that he was gone.

Without its creator,

"Star Trek the next generation"

continued for another
two and a half years.

The series wrapped with
a two-part extravaganza

that gene, no doubt,
would have been proud of.

The series finale really
brought us full circle

to some of the issues and
themes that were brought up

in "encounter at farpoint."

It's time to put an end to
your trek through the stars.

I thought it was a sensational
double episode at the end.

- Captain picard.
- [Both] Yes.

There was nothing that I
felt I could've asked for more

than the way they explored

where our characters
go or have gone.

The whole final episode

was a love letter to the
series and to the fans.

It didn't feel right to just
go up onto the bridge

and press "engage"
one more time.

It was really about them and
how much they loved each other.

Yes! Yes!

We knew we wanted to end
the show with a poker game.

And the key was that picard
never joined the poker game.

I, uh... i just thought

that I might, um... I might
join you this evening.

So we wanted to gather
the family together,

just loving each
other's company.

I should have done
this a long time ago.

What's the last line gonna
be? It had to be a poker line.

And I think it might have been
jeri Taylor who came up with it.

[Picard] And the
sky's the limit.

It was a very sad time
for me and a sad episode

just because it was over.

It turned out to be one
of the great episodes.

Paramount's risky experiment

and direct-to-syndication
television had paid off.

You've saved
humanity once again.

And not just commercially.

1994 was peak "trek."

You have "next generation"
ending with an Emmy nomination.

But on the other side of
every peak is a descent,

and emboldened by its success,

"Star Trek" was about to
descend once more into chaos

in deep space...

This was the show that
they aren't that pleased with.

You're obviously a prisoner

of federation dogma
and human prejudice.

And ultimately deep trouble.

There were a lot of people

who didn't like the
way it was going,

the fact that it was serialized.

A lot of the audience gave up.

Paramount just
threw up their hands.