Star Trek: The Next Generation two-hour series finale “All Good Things” aired May 23, 1994 – twenty years ago today.
The series finale of The Next Generation would end the shows seven year run on television and give the show not only a series-high 17.4 Nielsen rating, but also won the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation and earn an 1994 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.
In a recent interview done for Yahoo, both Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga talked about their memories of writing the final episode “All Good Things” and also writing the script for the movie “Generations”, both at the same time.
Ronald D. Moore:
“The great irony of it all is, we spent a year on Generations, and ‘All Good Things…,’ we wrote in a month. We just plowed through it, banged it out. It did not go through radical changes in the drafts. There were production changes, as always, but it was basically what we wrote, pretty close to the first or second drafts. And it turned out beautifully. It was just one of those things where it all flowed and it all came together, and we were astonished by how much people liked it, how much we liked it, how great the final product was. It exceeded your expectations of what it could be.”
“And Generations was the opposite experience. Generations, we slaved over for a year; we worked it over and over and over again, and in the end it just fell short. And we were like, God… it was just such a depressing feeling of not being able to bring that one home. But we did have this other experience that was very unexpected and just clicked and became a wonderful piece.”
Brannon Braga:
“Here’s the problem: Generations was not a Next Generation film. First Contact was. Generations was a Kirk/Picard film. So there were many masters to serve on that movie. And quite frankly, I don’t think it had a good concept driving it. The concept of the two captains sounded good, but they ended up scrambling eggs together… which isn’t exactly the most riveting climax you can imagine. But the concept for ‘All Good Things…’ was far more, I felt, cinematic than the actual movie we made. And, as I have heard many people say, ‘All Good Things…’ would’ve made a good movie. And I think they’re right. It’s the better script. Because it’s more pure.”
(To read the full Interview click here Yahoo)
TNG / All Good Things / Paramount / 1994
Plot Summary: All Good Things / Stardate 47988.1
A disoriented Picard reports that he has been shifting from the present to two specific points in the past and future – seven years ago when he first arrived aboard the Enterprise, and 25 years into the future. In this final adventure, the Next Generation crew must battle to save history.
TNG / All Good Things / Paramount / 1994
Reggie’s Take:
Granted Star Trek: The Next Generation was the not the original Star Trek show on television and if it wasn’t for the original crew and series in the 1960’s we never would of gotten “The Next Generation”, but The Next Generation was my Star Trek for my generation and I thank Mr. Roddenberry for taking the risk of putting Star Trek back on television!
Star Trek: The Next Generation holds a special place in my heart and not because I’m a big Sci-Fi geek. The last four seasons Next Generation was on television with new episodes I was living with my grandparents (My mom’s parents). Of all the grandparents I was always the closest to my grandfather who had top billing in my heart.
He got me involved in a lot of things and he taught me a lot of things I might not of learned if it wasn’t for him, but no matter what was going on he and I always made time to sit down in front of the television and watch the newest episode of Next Generation.
He passed away in 2010 at the age of 89 and one of the many memories I hold closest to me are those nights we would sit and watch Star Trek: The Next Generation.
Before The Next Generation came to television I was a fan of the Star Trek films and just an occasional viewer of the TOS. Next Generation got me to go back and watch TOS series and appreciate it, something that might not of happen if it hadn’t been for the Star Trek that I see as my Trek for my generation.
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Reggie's Take.com 
I was 10 when this episode aired and I had no idea that it would be the last episode until the announcer on BBC 2 said so at the beginning. I think very few shows had as good an ending as this one. It was a beautiful send off to a much loved show that still thrills and entertains today. Scene stealer was the three engined Enterprise-D decloaking, but we had such eye candy in it in the form of the Daedalus-class inspired USS Pasteur and the Klingon Negh’var style battlecruisers. Eye candy aside the acting and the story was wonderful and the final scene with Picard sitting down to the poker game was especially touching.
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