Thanks for this. This was a lot of fun to revisit. I recorded this on VHS when it first aired and rewatched it plenty of times as a kid. And this proves why physical media will always be better. The behind-the-scenes vignettes on DVD and Blu-Ray are so cool, and many are unavailable anywhere else. I recommend checking out some of the other features and interviews on the Blu-Rays; they will illuminate a lot about how things came to be in TNG.

Oh sry bit late to this one but cool to see, I remember being one of the people recommending you guys watch this post generations so thanks for that. Funnily enough just the other day I came across a very similar tv doc like this made for voyager during its first season and i'm pretty sure you are already way past the point it was produced so no spoilers. It was aired 19th march 95 I think. I highly suggest you look up "E's inside star trek voyager" very similar vibe to this but with Robert Duncan McNeil as a host instead of Frakes and in the recommended looks like there might be one for DS9 too. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ye02Jk9dDWU Hope you guys had fun in Las Vegas!

I vaguely remember watching this on VHS decades ago. A few bits of it did cause some neurons to fire, but I remembered very little. On the other hand, the previews at the start on the Archive link, those were burned into my memory.

I wonder if the better quality, vs DS9 and Voyager on DVD, may just be because they mastered the SD video for Blu-ray.

I went to the 30th anniversary convention in 1996 in Huntsville, AL and there were quite a few of the actors from DS9 and Voyager, which were both in production at the time. I met and spoke with Kate Mulgrew and met a few others that were there like Nichelle Nichols and Grace Lee Whitney. I saw a bunch of others that I didn’t get to speak to like Majel Barrett, John DeLancie, Chase Masterson, Rene Auberjonois, and a stage presentation of the original TOS cast, which was the last time all seven of them were together before DeForest Kelley passed a couple of years later.

After you finished DS9 need to watch it's documentary: "What We Left Behind: Looking Back at Star Trek: Deep Space Nine"

Another documentary is Inside Star Trek the real story, a documentary based on a book by Herb Solow (executive for Desilu) for the 30th anniversary that sheds some light on how Star Trek was developed.

I assuming you're watching this on the blu ray? The SD transfers look so much better on the blu rays, I think much much more care was taken with the TNG/TOS Blu Rays and DVDs than DS9 and VOY. For instance there's a future DS9 episode that's included in the TOS blu rays and it looks a million times better than anything DVD or streaming. I just think they copy pasted the DS9 VHS and called it a day and didn't do anything to make it look it's best. Also I distinctly remember then running ads for the Generations communicator during the airing of this.

It made sense for Frakes to host this because 1) Stewart was in every scene of All Good Things, and 2) back then Frakes was considered the center of the cast off screen.

Patrick Stewart initially did NOT get along with the other cast members since they joked around on set-especially Frakes and Spiner. He eventually lightened up after a few seasons and they all became friends..

Lore had on a paklad outfit because he had been picked up by paklads while floating in space. Presumably he killed the Paklads and wore their clothing.

Look up William Shatner’s Star Trek Memories special from 1994. Aired about four months after this one, on the eve of Generations. It was all TOS cast, and Deforest Kelley’s last filmed interview

That black starfield draped outside the sets idea was borrowed from the old Battlestar Galactica series where they used a very similar one whenever they were shown flying the Vipers

When Jonathan was on stage at the convention, he actually was crashing Robin Curtis’ session. She played Saavik in Star Trek 3 and 4, and also played a Romulan in the two-part TNG episode “Gambit”.

R.I.P. Jeri Taylor the woman behind Captain Kathryn Janeway.

They did a special like this for DS9 as well early in the run. My local library used to have the VHS. Don’t think that ever made it to digital media though. There were like 3 X-Files specials during its run too.

The conventions: yes, Josh, you're basically correct. Star Trek conventions of all sizes popped up in cities of all sizes during the Berman-Trek era. The smaller ones would have 1 or maybe 2 well-known actors, while the bigger ones in NYC, Chicago, LA, etc. would have at least 1/2 dozen of the more major actors, and then a scattering of lesser seen guest actors or behind the scenes production crew folks like Okuda, Sternbach, etc.

Since you asked, the featured guests at the 1994 Pasadena Star Trek Convention highlighted in the feature were: Leonard Nimoy, Patrick Stewert, and composers Gerald Fried & Jay Chattaway who also hosted an affiliated concert event. Conventions were actually fairly frequent throughout the 90s with 2 - 3 featured actors being the average representation. I remember attending one when I was about 14 (so 93, 94 somewhere in there) that featured Alexander Siddig & John de Lancie (who briefly sat next to me while waiting to be called up, startling me terribly)

Wow! Nice surprise! "How we made the sausage." Thanks guys! From what I've read and heard, I think Gene did have more of a connection to the TNG cast than he did to the TOS cast (with 1 exception).

Man I remember watching this when it aired before the finale. It used to be part if the syndication package, so it would run as “an episode”.

Argh! I was hoping for an early release of TXF S02E16! Darn it. :D

FYI, the next big ‘must-see’ Trek documentary would be “Trekkies.” This was released theatrically by Paramount on Oct 18, 1997 and, going by release date order, should be watched between DS9 6x03 & 6x04.

Based on interviews I've seen/read, I have the impression that after an initial breaking in period, Stewart did become good friends with the rest of the TNG cast, some more than others to be sure. For instance, Brent Spiner was the best man at the wedding for Stewart's second marriage.

For anyone who can't find a version online google "archive.org Journey's End: The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation"

Can't find it streaming anywhere. Youtube offers it, but you have to buy the entire S7 of TNG to get it. I'm surprised Paramount+ doesn't have it. Oh well. "Not this time"

It's also on the regular DVD collection, at least in the UK

What a fantastic surprise, thank you!!! ✨

You guys... 🥰❤️🖖