Finished Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) the other night! 🎬

It's been a fun ride, and here are my thoughts about the series:

We started watching Star Trek: TNG on @`JesterHodl`'s recommendation. He pointed out that the characters take some time to develop and that if you rewatch it later, the first few episodes feel a bit jarring and out of sync with the rest.

Fair point. Initially, it's clear that the creators were still figuring out who these characters were and what traits they should possess.

Overall, it’s an imaginative, ambitious sci-fi series that has absolutely stood the test of time — and deservedly so. True, some of its “predictions” and tech ideas are wild and might break the laws of physics, but some actually came true. (And today’s AI is arguably more accurate than Commander Data — who, by the way, is my favorite character. I’m gonna dress up as him for the next Halloween! 🎃)

They nailed certain tech forecasts impressively well, and some of their outrageous ideas might still come true — they feel really plausible. Other times, their “breakthroughs” make you wonder: could that even happen? And before you know it, you’re down a rabbit hole researching the physics behind it and spending hours talking with AI about it. Even if you discover it’s just pure imagination, the mental trip is worth it.

On the other extreme end, there are things they couldn't foresee. Every device in the show has physical buttons, while today we just tap icons on sleek, screen-only devices. At times, characters are reading paperback books—even now, physical books are becoming more of a thing of the past. I wouldn’t call it a shortcoming—many sci-fi worlds age that way. We humans don't have a crystal ball anyway.

Most episodes are trippy as fuck! 🍄 Honestly, some of them would probably only make full sense if you’ve had a religious experience with certain sacred plants, fungi, or molecules (you know exactly what I mean).

⚠️ This paragraph contains some mild spoilers!

There’s this character, Q, that my girl and I both fucking hated. We couldn't stand his smug face or his voice. And he’s there from episode one! But in the final episode, there’s an unexpected and mind-bending twist. Turns out Q might have been a kind of cosmic “trip sitter” all along. It actually makes you rethink your hatred for him. ⚠️

This got me wondering—have any of the creators of Star Trek tried psychedelics? Well, Gene Roddenberry himself was a military veteran and largely kept a conservative public image. He did not speak openly about psychedelics, though he did discuss drug legalization and addiction as mental health issues.

But some others involved in sci-fi have been more candid—like writer Norman Spinrad, who openly believes consciousness-altering drugs have shaped much of creative writing.

So while Star Trek maintained a measured, science-based tone, at least some of the creative minds behind sci-fi have had first-hand psychedelic insights.

One more thing that speaks to how good the show is: sci-fi usually isn’t my girlfriend’s cup of tea, and I normally watch it in my “me time”. But she absolutely loved this series — sometimes I think she was even more excited than I was to see the next episode. That’s a win in my book.

Overall score: Solid 7/10 from me. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#filmstr #filmreview #film #series #startrek