Star Trek fans would argue that Discovery is not a bad show but just compared wrongly with a better one. We agree. Star Trek: TNG is a far better show.
Star Trek: TNG Took Risks Star Trek Discovery Never Does
Many episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation are so experimental and radical. The show takes time and gives effort to go to areas no other Star Trek series has gone before. The Season7 Episode – Lower Deck, Season 4 Episode – First Contact, and the Season 6 Episode – Chain of Command prove Star Trek: TNG was lightyears ahead of its time. Discovery still has a hard time gaining a foothold with its multi-episode over-arching story format. TNG does not suffer being put through such critical lenses.
Even Star Trek: TNG Had It Bad At First But They Turned It Around
Decades before Michael Burnham took in the reigns of the new Discovery series, Star Trek: TNG had already gone through quite the ordeal. Discovery sometimes gets hatred for its radical approach to storytelling. Michael Burnham as a central character, fails to evoke a positive response in the majority of Star Trek fans. Even the episodes suck at times. Star Trek: TNG had to work to get out of the shadow of Star Trek: The Original Series. When it came out first, fans were angry that their favorite Star Trek show was being replaced. TNG carved out a niche of its own within a few years. Discovery is yet to get there.
Captain Picard – Enough Said!
One of the single greatest reasons Star Trek: TNG was so successful was because it had some really intriguing central characters. Captain Jean-Luc Picard is a way better captain than any of the ones Star Trek: Discovery has at its disposal. Saru and Burnham are good but the aura and ‘oomph’ factor Picard radiates is hard to top. Over multiple seasons, Star Trek: TNG explored Picard’s backstories and origin tales. He was fleshed out, turning into a very layered and complicated character. And the fans loved him for it.
There Are Better (& Longer) Character Story Arcs
Both Next Generation and The Original Series had character arcs to die for. They were not done as haphazardly and incompletely. Most of the characters in Discovery, the ones important to the story anyways, had stunted character development arcs. Sure there are a few exceptions to that statement but overall, Discovery failed its characters. The Next Generation explored each character with vivid detail. As more and more seasons came, the characters were entirely different from their early Season 1 counterparts.
Star Trek: TNG Had Better Scope & Range
In the 1960’s, the limitations of sci-fi entertainment made The Original Series focus too much on the characters. With Next Generation, technology had developed enough for the show to increase the scale and range of the storylines. We learned in detail about the many allies and friends of Starfleet and the Federation. The many alien worlds and civilizations could be thrown light to. Discovery had the magic of special effects and CGI at its disposal, literally the entire universe at its feet. And in the end, it chose time travel as the best direction to move ahead? That’s just lazy writing.
TNG Challenged Us With Philosophical Conundrums
Many episodes of Star Trek: TNG features concepts and ideas that are basically food for thought. We get to see and experience ides and philosophies everyone didn’t even know existed. Take for example the fact that it was TNG that revealed humanity has moved past the basic shackles of food, water, and shelter. The capitalist idea of consumer culture no longer exits and Earth is now a total utopia. What does humanity strive for in a world where literally every need of his has now been met? The answer’s knowledge.
