Aside from some major character beats and the occasional epic two-parter, Next Generation famously kept its serialisation in the background as Picard and the crew boldly solved whatever problem had beamed into their in-trays that week. That formula went on to serve Trek TV shows well throughout the ’80s, ’90s, and ’00s. It was the best of both worlds – a show that had the versatility of an anthology series like The Twilight Zone, yet didn’t have to waste any time establishing its characters every episode. The show’s ingenious format allowed viewers to encounter different aliens and planets on a weekly basis, but with familiar faces like Kirk and Spock to act as a comfort blanket. The original Star Trek was precision-engineered to deliver standalone stories every week.
(Image credit: Paramount) What Star Trek was made for Every day is different on the USS Enterprise of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
