As promised, my season four overview of Star Trek: The Next Generation is here! Season four is where many people, Michael Dorn included, felt TNG really hit its stride. Coming off a huge amount of nationwide speculation about its season three cliffhanger, season four hit with some of the highest ratings ever for a syndicated show.
After Best of Both Worlds Part II season four was off and running, with some of the finest episodes in the series occurring. Standout episodes also include Family, Brothers, Remember Me, Reunion, Final Mission, Data’s Day, The Nth Degree, Qpid, The Drumhead, In Theory and the season finale Redemption. They had 10 Emmy nominations and 2 wins, which would continue to increase as the series progressed.
Season four saw a change in emphasis in two ways: they began telling serialized stories, and family becomes one of the main themes. This season we spend time learning about Picard’s family, Worf’s family, Data’s family, and even a dead crew member’s family! Miles O’Brien really becomes part of the Enterprise family this season, gaining a first and middle name, and having several episodes where he is featured. Spot, Data’s cat, also joins.
We also lose a member of the family, as Wil Wheaton left the series after the episode Final Mission. I discuss his reasons why and give a behind-the-scenes photo of his going away party in my article.
If you’d like to read my season 4 overview, click here. Hang on and in the next few weeks I’ll start reviewing episodes from season 4. 🙂