Summary

• "Encounter at Farpoint" struggled to establish the characters and tone of Star Trek: TNG, but the compelling crew of the USS Enterprise-D kept viewers engaged.
• The pilot episode featured inconsistent characterizations, with several officers behaving out of character, such as Picard's anger and Data's uncharacteristic display of emotions.
• Despite its flaws, "Encounter at Farpoint" laid the foundation for TNG's future success, introducing important relationships, showcasing the rare saucer separation maneuver, and hinting at the potential of Q as a recurring character.

Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered in 1987 with a feature-length pilot entitled "Encounter at Farpoint," but several of the elements introduced in that episode would prove to be only temporary. Detailing the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, TNG followed in the footsteps of Star Trek: The Original Series and took place about 100 years after the voyages of Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner). "Encounter at Farpoint" pitted Picard against a god-like entity known as Q (John de Lancie), who put the Enterprise crew on trial for the crimes of humanity.

Leading up to the premiere, many die-hard TOS fans hated Star Trek: TNG and feared it could not possibly live up to the magic of TOS. After watching "Encounter at Farpoint," they might have believed they were right. While there's a decent story somewhere in the pilot, TNG clearly had not yet figured out what it wanted to be. Still, while the characters might not have gelled right away, there was something about this Enterprise and its crew that was compelling. It would be a couple of seasons before TNG would really start firing on all cylinders, but that first episode laid the groundwork for what followed.

10 Several Characters Behave Out Of Character

"Encounter at Farpoint" had the incredibly difficult task of establishing the crew of the Enterprise-D and setting the tone for the rest of the show. Despite this, the episode feels more serious than TNG would turn out to be. Captain Picard is quicker to get angry and resort to violence, Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) acts rashly and without receiving orders, Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) comes across as being a stickler for the rules, and Deanna Troi (Marina Sirits) seems to deeply feel every emotion that she senses in others. It would take several more episodes for the writers and actors to fully settle into these characters and the world of the Enterprise.

9 Geordi's Visor Causes Him Constant Pain

After Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton) come on board the Enterprise, La Forge visits Sickbay. Dr. Crusher examines the visor that allows Geordi to see and asks him about it. He tells her that he has been blind all his life and that while the visor allows him to see "much of the EM spectrum," it also causes him constant pain. While Geordi's visor does malfunction occasionally throughout the show, this pain is rarely referenced again. Dr. Crusher offers him pain medicine or exploratory surgery, but both options would affect his ability to perform his job, so he declines.

8 Q Is More Antagonistic And Less Fun

Q's eight appearances on Star Trek: The Next Generation established him as a trickster, but he was never again as cruel as he was in "Encounter at Farpoint." Q would prove to be a thorn in the side of Captain Picard and his crew, but he also developed a certain fondness for them. In his first appearance, Q lacks the sense of humor he would develop later. Q's uncharacteristic behavior could be because the writers and John de Lancie were still figuring out the character, or because Q himself changed later on. Q would go on to be a great recurring character, but his first appearance is not quite as fun as some of his later ones.

7 The USS Enterprise-D Performs A Saucer Separation Manuever

In order to keep civilians and non-essential personnel safe from Q, the Enterprise performs a saucer separation in "Encounter at Farpoint". This means that the larger saucer section can escape to safety while the drive portion of the ship confronts Q. This saucer separation is played as a big, dramatic moment, and it's implied that this will be something the ship does often. However, due to constraints with TNG's budget and the VFX technology of the time, the Enterprise rarely made use of this feature. It makes sense that TNG would want to show it off, but it's unfortunate that they were not able to use it more often.

6 Data Behaves And Speaks Oddly

It's apparent in "Encounter at Farpoint" that the writers and actors had not figured out all characterizations yet. This is most noticeable with Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner), as he expresses more emotion in this episode than he would throughout the rest of the series. It feels like Brent Spiner and the writers were still figuring out Data and how he would behave. Data is still one of the most compelling characters of the episode, but it would take some time before the character settled into his usual self. "Encounter at Farpoint" does establish Data's desire to be human, which would become a core part of his identity moving forward.

5 Several Officers Wear Different Uniforms Than Usual

Another element of TNG that had not yet been fully established in the pilot was the uniforms. In one scene, a male Starfleet officer can be seen wearing a minidress uniform that would come to be known as a "skant." While skants would make a few more appearances over TNG's first two seasons, the uniform would eventually be phased out in favor of the more practical pants and jumpsuits. Additionally, Geordi La Forge and Worf would wear gold uniforms for most of TNG, but they appear in command red in the pilot. In season 2, Worf gets promoted to Chief of Security, and Geordi gets promoted to Chief Engineer, causing the uniform change.

4 Deanna Troi & William Riker's Previous Relationship Is Implied, As Is Picard and Crusher's

"Encounter at Farpoint" establishes two important relationships between the main characters. When Captain Picard introduces new First Officer William Riker to Deanna Troi, he discovers that the two have already met. Troi and Riker would become one of Star Trek's most beloved couples, eventually marrying in Star Trek: Nemesis. Though less obvious than Troi and Riker, Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher also seem to have history, and would have a will they/won't they relationship throughout TNG. As revealed in Star Trek: Picard season 3, the pair later had a son named Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers).

3 Deanna Troi Speaks To Commander Riker Telepathically

It's established fairly early in "Encounter at Farpoint" that Deanna Troi is half-human and half-Betazoid, and that she has the ability to sense the emotions of others. When Troi and Commander Riker reunite on the Enterprise bridge, Troi speaks to Riker telepathically. Riker does not respond to her, but it's implied that the pair used to communicate this way. "Encounter at Farpoint" makes use of Troi's emotion-sensing abilities often, suggesting that they will be a big part of the series moving forward. While Troi does use her abilities to sense emotions fairly often, she never again uses telepathy with anyone but other Betazoids.

2 The Ferengi Are First Mentioned And Implied To Be Dangerous Antagonists

Later in Star Trek: The Next Generation and even more so in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the Ferengi would deliver on their promise, but they never quite became the frightening villains "Encounter at Farpoint" implied them to be. As Captain Picard tries to negotiate with Zorn (Michael Bell), the supervisor of Farpoint Station, Zorn remarks that "the Ferengi would be very interested in a base like this." Picard replies "I hope they find you as tasty as they did their past associates," suggesting that the Ferengi eat their enemies.

Originally, the Ferengi were meant to replace the Klingons as the main antagonists for the Enterprise. However, this quickly changed after their first appearance in season 1, episode 5, "The Last Outpost." As they appeared in this episode, the Ferengi were not frightening but rather somewhat silly, and the species was changed quite a bit before their next appearance.

1 DeForest Kelley Makes A Brief Appearance As iral McCoy

The appearance of iral Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley) in "Encounter at Farpoint" served no real purpose to the story other than to the metaphorical torch from Star Trek: The Original Series. McCoy got some great lines in his short scene, but he only interacted with Data. It would have been fun to spend a bit more time with him, but the focus of TNG was, of course, on Picard and his crew.

Still, McCoy's appearance was welcome and served as a nice shoutout to TOS. After the appearance of iral McCoy in TNG, it would become a tradition for a character from the previous Star Trek series to appear in the pilot of the newest series. Despite the somewhat rocky pilot episode, Star Trek: The Next Generation would go on to produce some truly wonderful sci-fi television and become a worthy successor of Star Trek: The Original Series.