SyFriday: Happy Birthday, Star Trek: TNG!

Of course, the actual first day simply depends on where you live, because TNG would go on to redefine first-run syndication (and prove that from a scripted drama standpoint, it could work), which left it up to individual stations in various markets to air the show when they felt like it.

For me, I was 11 years old when Patrick Stewart first brought Capt. Picard to my television screen. I remember it was October for some strange reason when the Altoona, Pa. Fox affiliate WWCP put the show on the air.

I don't remember much of my pre-teen years, because I was drunk ... er, I was young. But I do remember when commercials were first coming out for the new syndicated lineup that was airing on WWCP, and it was the year of the remake. I can't remember all the other shows, but I quite clearly remember there being a Monkees "next generation" series as well, because I was sitting there wondering who the hell the Monkees were.

"Encounter at Farpoint" is very special to me, because it was aired as a two-hour television movie event. And it was the first (and only time) that my entire family -- my mother, my father and my little sister -- gathered around the television set in the living room to watch an episode of Star Trek. I was so excited because it seemed like my dad and my older brother had their own Star Trek in the original series, and I wanted one that I could call mine. And this was it.

You had Stewart as Picard (and I remember wondering if he was too old for the part, and if he would die of natural causes before I was 18). You had Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr. William T. Riker. Marina Sirtis as a very annoying telepath named Deanna Troi. An awesome moody Klingon named Worf played by Michael Dorn, the "Reading Rainbow" guy LeVar Burton as Geordi LaForge, the now very awesome Wil Wheaton (you rule, Wil Wheaton! You rule!) as Wesley Crusher. And who can forget ... oh wait, I forgot. Who was that other guy? Oh yes, Data! Sorry, Brent Spiner.

Now when I watch the first season of TNG, I just cringe. But then, on the cusp of adolescence, it was the most amazing thing in the world.

I don't have a lot of stories to tell about TNG, except that it played a major role in my life. I still credit the episode "Tapestry" for convincing me to apply for a writer's position with my local daily newspaper even though I was just 16 years old. I didn't want to end up being the ship's gardener just because I wouldn't take a chance (and I got the job, by the way). "Best of Both Worlds, Part I" was the first time I actually threw something at the television when the words "To Be Continued ..." popped up. "Sins of the Father" was the first time I think I cried watching television, as Worf's own people turned their back on him, making him suffer discommendation for a crime he didn't deserve. Just thinking about how alone Worf was, stripped of his name and his honor was too much for me.

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