The creators of Star Trek's best season premiere thought it was mediocre

The author Chris Snelgrove
| Published 26 seconds ago

As a huge Star Trek fan, I have always loved “Evolution,” the season three premiere episode. The next generation. Season three was essentially when TNG finally hit its stride, complete with new uniforms and a new character-driven approach to storytelling that transformed the franchise for the better. Plus, Evolution is everything that makes the Golden Age of Trek so special, so I was shocked to discover that the creators of this killer episode largely thought it was mediocre.

“Evolution” plot

If you're a Star Trek fan in need of a quick “Evolution” primer, here's the episode where the Enterprise accompanies an eccentric scientist hoping to observe and record data from a cosmic phenomenon that only happens once every 196 years. Meanwhile, Beverly Crusher is back on board and trying to bond with her son Wesley, but he's too focused on his studies. So focused, in fact, that he accidentally releases some nanites and they infect the ship's core. As the creatures evolve, they threaten this time-sensitive experiment, and all is well LPG fashion, diplomacy with this new way of life saves the day.

As for myself, I think it's a great Star Trek episode. It's not the greatest of the franchise or anything, but “Evolution” is definitely the strongest premiere of the season, looking even stronger compared to the “Shades of Grey” clip that ended Season 2. That's why I was like that. surprised that the creators of the episode found it mediocre, starting with showrunner and general TNG savior Michael Piller.

Mediocre start to the season

Despite the Star Trek showrunner writing “Evolution,” Piller still concluded, “was a B episode.” Announcing that it “went well”, he still lamented that “I didn't like it”. Stressing that he's still “proud of the episode,” Piller summed up his thoughts by saying the episode “didn't quite pan out.”

Veteran Star Trek director Winrich Kolbe was responsible for bringing this episode to life, and he agrees with Piller's assessment of the episode's mediocrity. First, he praised the plot about a scientist who “suddenly discovers that there are consequences he hadn't thought of” and said he “liked” that “there was a certain immaturity or arrogance or whatever”. However, he felt that “everyone saw it as a kid's show, even the writers”, which led to a “very serious problem” (these nanites could easily destroy the Enterprise and threaten the Federation) which “wasn't properly addressed” on screen. .

Kolbe is one of Star Trek's most reliable directors, and Piller has more or less survived The next generation from the death spiral of its first two seasons, but I just can't get behind their criticism of “Evolution.” It gave us a perfect The original series setting with the quirky scientist and weirder space phenomenon, but it added a proper The next generation twist, forcing Picard to save the day through diplomacy rather than violence. We even saw the birth of a new life form, and if “finding new life” isn’t enough of a trek, I honestly don’t know what is.

Star Trek: The Next Generation had better episodes than “Evolution,” but probably wasn't a better season opener. It's a stand-alone story that's great for repeat viewings, even if its writer and director treat it as something of a B-series. And given how uneven the NuTrek era of the franchise has been, this “B” series now seems anything but excellent.