Star Trek 975: Farewell to Star Trek: The Next Generation

975. Farewell to Star Trek: The Next Generation

PUBLICATION: TV Guide Collector's Edition, Telemedia Communications Inc., 1994

CREATORS: TV Guide staff

STARDATE: All information current up to the last few episodes of TNG

TOPIC: As TNG's series finale approached, TV Guide issued a 128-page perfect-bound booklet to celebrate the event and the phenomenon TNG had become. It starts with interviews with Berman and the cast (including recurring actors like Majel Barret, John de Lancie and Michelle Forbes), including other tv and movie credits for each of them, and then goes on to list every episode with its TV Guide entry, but also a brief mini-review and what it should be remembered for (firsts, arcs, guest actors, etc.). You'll also find factoids about the show, jokes told by Leno and Letterman, Emmy Awards, merchandise interested parties might want to buy, information on the upcoming Generations, articles on the last few days on set and the wrap party, recipes, interviews with astronauts, fan letters and artwork, fan club addresses, and a Klingon word search puzzle.

CONTINUITY: Includes a handy explanation of TNG stardates (which doesn't work for the first season).

DIVERGENCES: Preemptive Strike is listed as The Good Fight.

ILLUSTRATION OF THE WEEK - Because my copy is the Canadian Edition:
REVIEW: The kind of thing you can find on eBay once in a while or might still have lying around the house, TV Guide's little farewell tribute stands up remarkably well. While the episode guide is in black and white, the rest is in glossy color, and the book isn't one of those stapled deals. It's physically withstood the test of time. As for the information inside, it's more than a piece of nostalgia, though the interviews and tribute pieces are definitely fun and well-arranged. The episode guide is quick and clear and may be just what the layman asked for. If you're trying to get into TNG, but wonder which episodes are important to your understanding of the story, then this is a far sight faster and clearer than say, the TNG Companion or this here blog. The fan stuff (and the recipes?) is all Canadian in my issue, so I imagine Americans got slightly different stuff.

Next for the SBG Book Club: Power Hungry (TNG), Warchild (DS9), The Riddled Post (SCE), Vulcan! (TOS)