Science Fiction Non-Fiction: Eddie Paskey (Star Trek: The Next Generation)

"I went to sleep on it.  I watched the first couple of times, but it just didn't seem real.  The depth wasn't there. I don't think it will stay around very long; certainly not as long as the original series.  There was a special chemistry, a playing of characters against each other, a little comedy and a feeling of love in the original. I just don't feel those things in the new show and I don't think they'll ever come.  They lost something."

-Actor Eddie Paskey of Star Trek: The Original Series on Star Trek: The Next Generation (Starlog Magazine #132, p.93)-

Paskey actually appeared as a small recurring character throughout many episodes of ST:TOS.

How can you fault Paskey's feelings on ST:TNG based on the first half season.  Many felt very much the same way and based on the evidence there is plenty missing from the new series, but it was clearly premature.  His opinion was based on the evidence to date and he's not wrong.



Unfortunately, as applicable to many of us, some shows need a little time to coalesce.  Star Trek: The Original Series and Firefly are two series that were brilliant upon their initial launch.  These never missed a beat.  ST:TNG was indeed different but took some time to find its footing, develop its stories, develop its own identity and cultivate its character dynamics and chemistry.



Clearly ST:TOS inspired generations of Star Trek fans and science fiction fans, but in many ways, and the debate will obviously always exist in some circles, ST:TNG as an entity has proven to be influential.  It too generated an interest to see the franchise thrive and run much deeper as its predecessor did before it. In many ways, ST:TNG revitalized that interest too as well as a desire to divert from script and try something new within the world established by Gene Roddenberry.

Look, we would be nowhere without ST:TOS, but would we have Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Voyager and Enterprise without the ever cerebral ST:TNG had it failed?  Would we have had the desire for new ensembles?  I don't think so.