The Last Generation

Nostalgia, joy, and so many heartwarming feelings wrapped together in this beautiful episode allow me to consider this entire show redeemed. Next Generation is almost perfect for me but I always felt its ending could have been better in some way.

Now, watching this fantastic episode I finally feel the cycle is complete. It felt right, like the last page of a great book.

You see, fan service is not a crime. It is ok to explore new things but you can, and should, remember the older fans, like me, who watched every single episode or movie from the franchise.

This, finally, feels like the Star Trek I always loved.

This is the ending we needed, the ending this fantastic crew deserved. You made this old man very happy.

Thank you Gene. God bless.

Holy shoot, you did it. You basically made what we waited our entire adult lives for. Not a perfect episode but at the same time more than good enough. You have to be impressed with how this cast has evolved and how they can still carry a show. Compare how they act and relate now to those old episodes. Should I point out this is a TV show with an 82 year old man in the title role?

It would seem Paramount slow walked this season until the end. I was harshly critical of those other episodes. As for this finale, congrats and thank you to the entire cast and crew for this memorable accomplishment.

This season was such a wonderful send off for the Next Generation. Completely restored the goodwill that both Insurrection and (especially) Nemesis squandered.

The final two TNG films reeked of milking the corpse of a once great show. This season showed the proper respect to a show that reached the heights of TOS, and yes I'm aware I'm vaguely paraphrasing Sirtis.

The final two TNG films just made it like it was a Picard/Data/Worf show. Here, the rest of the ensemble is given lots of room. Particularly Beverly, but also Riker, Deanna and Geordi.

Picard and Data weren't best friends, Geordi and Data were!

I've got minor quibbles but this probably isn't the place.

I'm serious. This episode has everything I didn't even know I needed. In fact, I can say that about this entire season. In an era of increasing bleakness, strife, and malice in the world, the renewed vision of hope and optimism embodied by Gene Roddenberry is alive and well here. I won't spoil anything in this review; however, I will say that this episode strikes an emotional chord. If you loved TNG - I know I do, I grew up on the series - you'll end up ugly crying. You'll laugh out loud. Sometimes you'll do both within a breath of the other. There are some detractors out there, certainly - and they are welcome to their opinions - but the fan service dished up in this episode precisely sates an appetite to Boldly Go. Thank you, Terry Matalas, the writing crew, the directors, the entire main and guest cast, for giving me the most entertaining season of TV I've experienced in a long, long time.

Although I understand the critiques I have seen, I cannot walk away from this episode expressing anything other than love. This season wasn't without flaws, but it was also the most fun I've had with Star Trek in quite some time. For that reason alone, I offer a sincere and heartfelt thanks to Terry and the cast; it was a blast from start to finish.

As mentioned above, I have seen a bit of negative commentary regarding this season and I hope we're all now adult enough to accept that not everyone is going to agree with one another. Not only is that fine, but it is an absolute fact of life. With that being said, I did find some of the comments a bit aggressive or lacking in compassion. For those raging, try replacing the phrasing of "fan service" or "fan-made" with "making loyal fans happy". For example, "I cannot believe so much of this season was dedicated to 'making loyal fans happy'. I mean, why would they waste their time on that!?"

Makes it sound a bit odd, right? Well, I personally think we all need to face the fact that sometimes it's not unreasonable to try and make people who have supported a franchise and/or business for years "happy". Should media be approachable for broader audiences? Of course. Should we aspire to bring new and creative ideas to TV? Absolutely! But I'm still confused as to when it became a sin to take care of a dedicated audience and throw them a bone sometimes. "How dare they try to take care of their core audience. The audacity!"

Listen, rant aside, this season was the best thing I've watched in a long time. I walked away with a huge smile and a sense of hope. I cannot remember the last show I watched where hope was the ultimate outcome.

Thanks once more to Terry Matalas and crew. You gave us something better than we deserved. I can confidently state that we will all remember and appreciate this season for years to come.