Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of the most beloved and influential series of the space adventure genre. First premiering in 1987, the series ran for seven successful seasons before finally ending in 1994. Having given a new lease of life to the original saga, the characters then went on to star in several movies as well.
However, it was truly the series that truly honored Gene Roddenberry’s original vision of space exploration. And one episode, in particular, stands out from the rest, for embracing the science behind the series and concepts like time loop, which left the viewers confused and bewildered.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode Which Shocked The World
Star Trek: The Next Generation expanded the Star Trek universe, delving deeper and deeper into the intricate world that so often reflected real-world dilemmas. While characters like Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard obviously stood out from the rest, actors like Jonathan Frakes, who starred as First Officer Commander William Riker, revolutionized the series by contributing significantly behind the camera.
Back on March 23, 1992, The Next Generation’s 18th episode of the fifth season premiered and left all fans and audiences shocked. Titled, Cause and Effect, it featured the destruction of the Enterprise, which leads to a space-time continuum for the crew and the ship. Caught in the time-loop, the same events of the ship being destroyed and killing everyone went on and on.
Directed by Frakes himself, the episode showed the crew trapped and experiencing the same events over and over again. Although if one were to pay heed, the repeated events were all shot in slightly different manners, the repetitive scenes and variations were a bold narrative choice that gave the series yet another extra edge.
Fans Were Confused by Jonathan Frakes’s Cause and Effect
It has been more than 30 years since Cause and Effect first premiered. Since then it has become one of the most iconic and fan-favorite episodes of The Next Generation for introducing the time loop. Its execution and writing were so intricate that many of the viewers were left utterly confused back in the day.
In an interview, years after the episode’s premiere, SYFY WIRE sat down with Brannon Braga, writer of Cause and Effect, to discuss the aftermath of the episode’s premiere. Braga described how the actors initially were left confused, thinking they had been handed the wrong script. While the actors got the hang of it later on, the episode’s premiere on TV caused a flood of calls from fans.
This was back when people would call into TV stations, I guess, they would call a lot of affiliates. The show was syndicated, as you know, and the affiliates were getting phone calls during the broadcast [saying] something was wrong with the broadcast.
Despite being unconventional and completely out of the left field, the episode became a hit among fans, who could not get enough of the bold narrative. Thanks to Braga’s leap of faith and Frakes’ willingness to take risks, Cause and Effect now remains a testament to the bold enduring legacy of The Next Generation.
Star Trek: The Next Generation can be streamed on Netflix.
