Star Trek: The Next Generation dropped the ball on a couple of ongoing storylines, but Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Picard proved it’s never too late to fix them. Throughout seven seasons of TNG, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew explored the galaxy aboard the USS Enterprise-D. Because of the nature of television in the 1980s and 1990s, each episode of TNG was mostly self-contained, meaning storylines did not continue from one episode to the next. With the exception of the occasional two-parter, this held true for the show’s entire run.
Because of its episodic nature, Star Trek: The Next Generation never truly developed the romances it teased. Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis) both made their debut in TNG’s series premiere, and it was clear from the beginning that they had a history. Although Riker and Troi regularly discussed their relationship with one another, they did not officially rekindle their romance until Star Trek: Insurrection. Captain Picard’s romance with Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) took even longer to pay off, as they did not come back together until Star Trek: Picard season 3.
Star Trek: Insurrection Fixed TNG’s Troi & Riker Romance Mistake
Troi & Riker Remain One Of Star Trek’s Greatest Couples
Will Riker and Deanna Troi were destined to be together from the start, but Star Trek: The Next Generation never allowed them to be a real couple. “Encounter at Farpoint” revealed that Riker and Troi had been romantically involved in the past, establishing that they still considered one another to be their Imzadi (the Betazoid word for beloved). Riker and Troi flirted throughout TNG, and their relationship ultimately became stronger as they grew closer as friends. Still, TNG ended without formally putting them together as a couple.
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When Captain Picard and his crew traveled to the Ba’ku planet in Star Trek: Insurrection, they were all affected by the regenerative properties of the planet. This new youthful energy rekindled feelings in Troi and Riker that they had been pushing aside for years. Although they effectively got back together in Insurrection, they made it official in Star Trek: Nemesis, finally tying the knot surrounded by all of their friends. I’m glad the TNG movies gave Riker and Troi their happy ending, as it would have been a shame if their story had ended with the show’s finale.
Star Trek: Picard Finally Made Jean-Luc & Dr. Beverly Crusher A Couple
Beverly & Jean-Luc Danced Around One Another For Years Before Finally Getting Together
The relationship between Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher was even more complicated and ambiguous than Riker and Troi’s. Beverly had once been married to Picard’s best friend, Jack Crusher (Doug Wert), who had been killed while serving under Picard’s command. This complicated Jean-Luc and Beverly’s relationship, but they clearly had feelings for one another, and yet they never got together on the show. The TNG films completely ignored any potential feelings between Captain Picard and Dr. Crusher, even giving Jean-Luc another love interest in Star Trek: Insurrection’s Anij (Donna Murphy).
Jean-Luc and Beverly had been married and divorced in the alternate future of the Star Trek: The Next Generation finale, “All Good Things…,” but the episode never showed them as a couple.
Thankfully, Star Trek: Picard season 3 brought the two back together, even revealing that they had a son together, Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers). Some time after the events of Star Trek: Nemesis, Jean-Luc and Beverly finally gave into their feelings for one another, leading to the birth of Jack. However, Beverly chose to keep Jack’s existence a secret, fearing that his life would be in danger from Picard’s many enemies. This caused some tension when Beverly and Jean-Luc reunited, but they ended Picard season 3 on good terms, presumably ready to rekindle some kind of relationship.
Why Star Trek: TNG Didn’t Want Long-Term Romance
Most TNG Romances Only Lasted For One Episode
Although Star Trek: The Next Generation became more serialized as the show progressed, it mostly stayed away from any long-term romances. Especially in TNG’s early days, every episode ended with the status quo aboard the Enterprise restored, before things were disrupted again the next week. Gene Roddenberry even created an unofficial rule that none of the regular characters could cause conflict with one another. Instead, the show’s conflicts had to come from outside sources, often in the form of the aliens of the week.
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Roddenberry’s “rule” made it difficult for TNG’s writers to develop the relationships between the characters from week to week. This was why many of the show’s romances only lasted for one episode, before the love interest had to leave or was revealed to be a villain. Even after Roddenberry had less influence on the show, the writers still didn’t focus on romances between the main characters — aside from a questionable romance between Troi and Lt. Worf (Michael Dorn). Thankfully, the Star Trek: The Next Generation films and Star Trek: Picard allowed for deeper explorations of the characters and their relationships.
