ST:TNG coffee cup

The Next Gen crew has been tirelessly dispensing my morning cup of Joe for the past 15 years. I think this one was also a birthday or Christmas gift, from sometime during the mid-90's.

TNG 25th Anniversary Series 1 Trading Cards

This is my partial set of the TNG (even-numbered) cards from Impel's 25th Anniversary Series.

Above: cards #2, 6, 10, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 26, 28, 32, 36, 40, 62, 64

Above: cards #66, 68, 70, 72, 74, 76, 78, 80, 82, 86, 90, 92, 96, 98, 100

Above: cards #104, 108, 116, 118, 120, 122, 124, 128

Above: cards #130, 132, 134, 138, 142, 144, 146, 150, 156

Above: The TNG-specific retail pack wrapper.

The Star Trek Encyclopedia

Another 90s purchase was The Star Trek Encyclopedia, compiled by Michael Okuda, Denise Okuda, and Debbie Mirek.

This tome has also been issued in three editions to date; my copy is from the first edition, which was published in April 1994 and covers TOS, 6 seasons of TNG, 1 season of DS9, and the first 6 Trek films. My copy is from the first printing.

ST:TNG Companion

Another of the few Trek books I purchased during the '90s was The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion by Larry Nemecek.

This book has been issued in three editions to date; mine is from the first edition which was published in November 1992. The first edition contains episode summaries up to and including season 5. Subsequent editions added summaries for the remaining two seasons of the show and the TNG movies. My copy is from the first printing.

ST:TNG Technical Manual

One of the handful of Trek books I purchased during the '90s was the Star Trek: The Next Generation Technical Manual, created by Rick Sternbach and Michael Okuda.

This book was published in November 1991. My copy is from the 4th printing.

ST:TNG Playmates Action Figures

Another item that my Mom bought me during the early 1990s was a set of Star Trek: The Next Generation action figures by Playmates. These were part of the 2nd wave of Playmates figures from 1993. My Mom knew that I wasn't really into playing with action figures at the time, but I think these were a bit of a nostalgic purchase for her, hearkening back to the good old days of Mego action figure gift-giving back in the late 1970s and early 1980s.


I opened up the Worf figure but the rest of them are still sealed.

ST:TNG Cereal Box Stickers

General Mills included a Star Trek: The Next Generation sticker in some of their cereal brands circa 1987. I ended up with a couple -- Riker and Wesley.

Pocket TNG Novels

The ramping up of the Star Trek: The Next Generation original novels from Pocket Books coincided with the ramping down of my Star Trek fanaticism. However, I did manage to sneak in the first four TNG novels.

Ghost Ship (#1) by Diane Carey was published in July 1988. My copy is from the first printing.


The Peacekeepers (#2) by Gene DeWeese was published in September 1988. My copy is from the first printing and was purchased during the Fall of 1988.


The Children of Hamlin (#3) by Carmen Carter was published in November 1988. My copy is from the first printing and was purchased during the Fall of 1988.


Survivors (#4) by Jean Lorrah was published in January 1989. My copy is from the first printing and was purchased on 4 February 1989.

ST:TNG comic mini-series

DC launched a 6-issue mini-series Star Trek: The Next Generation comic book shortly after the show's premiere.

Above: Issue #1, February 1988, "Where No One Has Gone Before!"

Above: Issue #2, March 1988, "Spirit in the Sky"

Above: Issue #3, April 1988, "Q Factor"

Above: Issue #4, May 1988, "Q's Day"

Above: Issue #5, June 1988, "Q Effects!"


I guess I wasn't hanging on the edge of my seat with these, since I didn't pick up the sixth and final book in the series. (Though, to be fair, this was about the time that my overall Trek madness began to wane.)

ST:TNG Premiere Novelization

David Gerrold wrote a novelization of the first Star Trek: The Next Generation episode -- Encounter at Farpoint. It was published in October 1987. My copy is from the first printing and was purchased on 20 October 1987.

ST:TNG Premiere

Star Trek: The Next Generation debuted in syndication during the Fall of 1987. I can still remember curling up in a chair in my parents' living room, filled to the brim with excitement as Star Trek boldly returned to the television screen. As mentioned previously, the Ottawa premiere date was delayed to early November, so the wait was even longer for me!

Above: Review of the new series from the Ottawa Citizen.

Above: The November 1987 Starlog featured a cover story on the new series.

Above: Interesting article on the success of Star Trek: The Next Generation in syndication.

Anticipating The Next Generation

Word of a possible new live-action Star Trek series on television must have started at some point in 1986. I was excited by the prospect of a new series and followed its development closely, largely via newspaper articles and Starlog magazine.

Above: Newspaper article from July 1986.

Above: Plan A was to launch The Next Generation on Fox's new network, but those plans fell through.

Above: An 11 October 1986 newspaper article announcing the return of Star Trek to television.

More information on the new series, published shortly after the October 1986 announcement.

A short article from December 1986.

Above: Throughout 1987, David Gerrold published updates on the production of the new series in Starlog magazine. Here's a report from February 1987, published in the June 1987 Starlog.

Above: More details from a July 1987 newspaper article.

Above: Another Gerrold report, published shortly before the series debut.

Above: I experienced even more anticaPAYtion than others waiting for the TNG premiere -- it was delayed over a month for the Ottawa market.