36 Years Ago, ‘Star Trek’ Broke Television With Its Biggest, Most Brutal Cliffhanger

For a long time, one-off episodes were television’s rule: stories wrapped each week and serialized arcs were rare. That began to change in the 1980s as game-changers like Hill Street Blues, created by Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll, helped normalize season-long storylines and make episodic series increasingly unusual.

Star Trek: The Next Generation followed a similar evolution. When it debuted in 1987 the series had a lot to prove — syndication had made The Original Series a cult classic, but questions lingered about whether a follow-up to a canceled show could restart the franchise.

Eight more shows, 13 films, and a thriving fandom later, the answer was emphatic. Early seasons of The Next Generation also experienced internal conflict. Gene Roddenberry clashed with cast and crew over dialogue, costumes, and thematic choices, and his insistence that humanity had moved past interpersonal flaws left little room for dramatic conflict.

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