Discover Why ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’ is the Ultimate Star Trek Experience!

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35 years ago, on February 19, 1990, “Star Trek: The Next Generation” broadcast an episode widely regarded as one of the best in its franchise and possibly across all of “Star Trek,” called “Yesterday’s Enterprise.” This episode is frequently hailed by critics and fans alike as one of the greatest, not just for “TNG,” but for “Star Trek” overall. Similar to other remarkable “Star Trek” stories, it features time travel, a favorite element among “Trek” enthusiasts. However, it also addresses a poorly handled cast member exit from an earlier season, sheds light on significant gaps in the history of “Star Trek,” and provides Sir Patrick Stewart with one of Picard’s most iconic lines: “Let’s make sure history never forgets the name… Enterprise.” While ‘fan service’ might have a negative connotation today, this episode managed to deliver it flawlessly. It’s astounding that all these elements aligned for such an extraordinary outcome to occur.

The First Two Seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation Actively Avoided Fan Service

Initially, during the first two seasons of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” creator Gene Roddenberry intentionally avoided references to his earlier “Star Trek” for a fresh start. He established a significant time leap of 78 years, breaking away from Captain Kirk’s crew and their vessel, the Enterprise. This new series could have been named “The New New Generation.” Initially, Roddenberry was resistant to reintroducing classic races like the Klingons, but later, due to persuasion, Michael Dorn as Worf was added to the cast, demonstrating that Klingons had evolved enough to serve in Starfleet. Except for a nod to DeForest Kelley’s character, an elderly Dr. Bones McCoy, seasons one and two featured minimal connections to “Star Trek”‘s past.

During the third season of the show, a significant shift occurred in the long-standing rule. Perhaps the producers felt that by now, Star Trek: The Next Generation was established enough to avoid appearing desperate by constantly referring to its history. However, it’s more probable that the situation changed due to creator Gene Roddenberry’s illness during this season. With his declining health, other key figures like Rick Berman and showrunner Michael Piller took over the day-to-day management of TNG. This change in leadership may have contributed to a less guarded approach towards Star Trek’s history, using it more frequently as a storytelling tool. Episodes such as “Sarek”, which was also in season three, showcased this shift. For instance, Mark Lenard returned for the role of Spock’s father in this episode, marking the first time the name “Spock” was mentioned on TNG (Rick Berman overruled Roddenberry on this point).

Season Three’s “Yesterday’s Enterprise” Gives Star Trek Fans What They Want

A standout episode that catered heavily to fans was “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” which aired earlier in that season. This episode served several purposes, most notably addressing the abrupt departure of actress Denise Crosby’s character Tasha Yar from the show in season one. Her demise at the hands of a tar monster was quite unexpected. Moreover, it delved into the enigmatic past of other starships named “Enterprise” during Kirk and Picard’s eras. It also shed light on how the Klingon Empire and the Federation came to be strong allies, a question that had been left unanswered when the series first began. The most remarkable aspect of this episode was its creation from disparate pieces of script, much like how director Nicholas Meyer combined various scripts to produce the highly acclaimed film “Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan” in 1982.

The Genesis of “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” a Script Written by a Star Trek Fan

The concept for ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’ originated from a distinctive feature of Star Trek: The Next Generation – their open invitation for script submissions from unrepresented amateur writers, which no other TV show offered at that time. Despite receiving over 5,000 scripts annually, the majority were not particularly good or feasible to produce on a television budget. However, the best always rose to the surface. Among these submissions was a script penned by an enthusiastic Star Trek fan named Trent Christopher Ganino. This script revolved around the Enterprise-C traveling 20 years into the future, where Captain Picard had to persuade his crew to return to their time and ultimately sacrifice themselves to safeguard the Federation’s utopian future. Although the basic premise of the final episode was already in place, many more alterations were still needed.

Early Versions of “Yesterday’s Enterprise” Featured Stronger Connections to The Original Series

In this piece, it’s mentioned that Ganino created a new Enterprise-C crew as he couldn’t use Kirk’s famous Enterprise-A team due to financial reasons. Later on, Rick Berman, producer of TNG, expressed regret for not using the “Yesterday’s Enterprise” story to make a movie combining both legendary casts. Interestingly, the director of this episode, David Carson, was appointed to direct the first TNG film, Star Trek: Generations. However, his script didn’t progress, so Ganino collaborated with Eric Stillwell on another time-travel Trek proposal. This idea was a sequel to the classic TOS episode “The City on the Edge of Forever,” which involved alterations in the past of planet Vulcan through the Guardian of Forever portal.

In this revised scenario, the narrative shift happens when Surak, the originator of Vulcan logic philosophy, is slain in a distant past, prior to his era. This event reshaped the current state of affairs, resulting in Starfleet being engaged in conflict with a consolidated Vulcan-Romulan empire. Rick Berman was drawn to preserving the Sarek character for a later episode, yet he found intriguing the notion of alterations in the past affecting the present. He enlisted Ganino and Stillwell to blend this idea with their earlier Enterprise-C time travel script, but without Sarek as its central figure. Additionally, an unexpected twist was incorporated into the narrative to elevate it to a classic episode.

The Return of Denise Crosby as Tasha Yar Gives “Yesterday’s Enterprise” Its Emotional Throughline

As a dedicated Star Trek enthusiast, I found myself forging an unexpected bond with Denise Crosby, renowned for her role as Security Chief Tasha Yar in the initial season of The Next Generation (TNG). Intriguingly, Crosby had requested the creator, Roddenberry, to write her off, leading to Tasha’s demise in a somewhat farcical episode. Later, she approached Eric Stillwell with a captivating idea: reviving her character through a script.

Stillwell accepted this intriguing challenge and skillfully integrated the return of Tasha into his Enterprise-C narrative. The emotional crux of the story emerged as Tasha grappled with the realization that her death in the primary timeline was devoid of purpose, compelling her to journey back in time to meet a noble end that would safeguard the future.

In this alternate reality, Tasha also developed a romantic relationship with Lt. Castillo, portrayed by Christopher McDonald, who served on Enterprise-C. A fascinating twist unfolded as the Federation found itself embroiled in a war against the Klingon Empire in this timeline. This revised narrative resonated profoundly with the TNG producers, reflecting their commitment to exploring complex and thought-provoking storylines within the Star Trek universe.

The script underwent additional revisions with writers from Star Trek: The Next Generation (TNG), including Ira Steven Behr, Hans Beimler, Richard Manning, and Ronald D. Moore. This team enhanced the significance of Whoopi Goldberg’s character Guinan, as she was the only one who recognized the time shift. Originally, Riker and Geordi were the only aware crew members of the changes. It also presented a genuine ethical dilemma for Captain Picard, as he grappled with sending the crew of the Enterprise-C to their demise. Another last-minute adjustment was changing the Captain of the Enterprise-C from Richard Garrett to Rachel Garrett (Tricia O’Neil), making her the first female commander of a Federation flagship. Without a doubt, the favorable response to Garrett laid the groundwork for Kathryn Janeway in Voyager five years later.

“Yesterday’s Enterprise” Becomes One of the Highest Rated Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

As a die-hard Star Trek enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that yesterday’s episode, “Yesterday’s Enterprise,” received a budget surpassing many other TNG episodes. This was no ordinary boost; it was timed strategically for the February sweeps, a significant period in broadcast TV history where advertisers were heavily invested. The extra funds were primarily used to revamp the altered Enterprise-D, design new Starfleet uniforms, and build the Enterprise-C set.

The episode became the most-watched of the season and the third highest-viewed of the entire series at that point, attracting a staggering 12 million viewers – a number that would be astronomical by today’s standards. Fans went wild for it, and to this day, it stands as one of the greatest milestones in Star Trek’s nearly 60-year journey.

“Yesterday’s Enterprise” serves as a testament to the fact that fan service can be beneficial, but only if the writers go beyond mere callbacks. When a long-running franchise is skillfully tied to its history while delivering genuine drama, the outcome can be nothing short of legendary.

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2025-02-11 23:33