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The Star Trek The Next Generation Companion
A companion to the popular syndicated television show offers readers a complete show-by-show guide to the series, including plot summaries, behind-the-scenes details, and much more. 150,000 first printing.
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 26, 2020
Every episode of the next gen, even the film's. Would recommend this book for all the info you want in the episodes.
November 11, 2011
This guide is well written and includes photos for every episode, but it's not as in depth as it could be. The poorer episodes have the least information. It seems that the worse an episode is, the less the author wants to draw attention to it. The movie information is pretty good.
One last note: this book was originally published following the fifth season of TNG, and subsequent editions added information as the series moved forward (ultimately producing seven seasons and four feature films.) Unfortunately the entries for the first five seasons were mostly left alone when the later editions were written, even with information that later fell out of date.
One last note: this book was originally published following the fifth season of TNG, and subsequent editions added information as the series moved forward (ultimately producing seven seasons and four feature films.) Unfortunately the entries for the first five seasons were mostly left alone when the later editions were written, even with information that later fell out of date.
January 3, 2012
Fantastic companion that is even better than many online sources.
July 9, 2020
Ricchissimo di informazioni
Un libro davvero ben fatto, con notizie sfiziose di tutti i generi sia riguardo questioni “tecniche” della serie sia riguardo gli ospiti e molto altro.
Recensione originariamente pubblicata su http://www.libreriauniversitaria.it/ nell’estate del 2010.
Un libro davvero ben fatto, con notizie sfiziose di tutti i generi sia riguardo questioni “tecniche” della serie sia riguardo gli ospiti e molto altro.
Recensione originariamente pubblicata su http://www.libreriauniversitaria.it/ nell’estate del 2010.
March 25, 2026
As an artifact largely predating fan wikis and franchise companion coffee table books, this book is a bit hard to judge from a 2026 perspective. I specifically sought out the 3rd edition from 2003, which includes all the TNG films through Nemesis (the acquisition of which involved having to return two online purchases that sent me the earlier editions instead of what they'd advertised).
Overall, I was disappointed, but I can't tell if it's the book's fault or just my vantage point 20+ years after its time. You can see the handmade quality in the layout and awkwardly sourced and reprinted grainy images—think xeroxed magazine copies.
My biggest disappointment, though, was that the 3rd edition from 2003 clearly only added additional material following the 2nd edition, rather than updating and expanded the overall content. The first version was published in 1992, so by 2003, many of the costar appearance references are already deeply out of date. Since it's subtitled "Revised Edition," I expected much more revision than merely adding the later films.
Knowing this came from a near-yet-long-ago time of unofficial fan-gathered info, it's probably unfair to hold this companion to the standard of expectations I brought to it, but both my inner fan and inner academic wanted greater clarity and relevance of information. Most of the behind the scenes content was merely references to earlier versions of scripts—a record of everything an episode or film never actually became. That gets old really fast and mostly feels like Nemecek is just bragging about what he managed to find, rather than sharing insights fans would want to know.
Also, since I've spent much of the past 5 years actively writing studio franchise guides, I couldn't help but wince at the randomness of how info was delivered. A single paragraph will jump from world-building info to special effects stats to what costar starred in which episode of Benson. There's just no structure or highlighting to give the reader context for what is being shared.
I hoped to learn more about the creation and content of each episode and original TNG film. Instead, it mostly felt like a summary of first draft scripts and a beat-by-beat take on which special effects were done by whom. Not much to expand my perspective as a longtime viewer. Maybe if I'd read the first edition back in 1992, it would have blown my mind. In 2026, it's not bringing much to the table.
Overall, I was disappointed, but I can't tell if it's the book's fault or just my vantage point 20+ years after its time. You can see the handmade quality in the layout and awkwardly sourced and reprinted grainy images—think xeroxed magazine copies.
My biggest disappointment, though, was that the 3rd edition from 2003 clearly only added additional material following the 2nd edition, rather than updating and expanded the overall content. The first version was published in 1992, so by 2003, many of the costar appearance references are already deeply out of date. Since it's subtitled "Revised Edition," I expected much more revision than merely adding the later films.
Knowing this came from a near-yet-long-ago time of unofficial fan-gathered info, it's probably unfair to hold this companion to the standard of expectations I brought to it, but both my inner fan and inner academic wanted greater clarity and relevance of information. Most of the behind the scenes content was merely references to earlier versions of scripts—a record of everything an episode or film never actually became. That gets old really fast and mostly feels like Nemecek is just bragging about what he managed to find, rather than sharing insights fans would want to know.
Also, since I've spent much of the past 5 years actively writing studio franchise guides, I couldn't help but wince at the randomness of how info was delivered. A single paragraph will jump from world-building info to special effects stats to what costar starred in which episode of Benson. There's just no structure or highlighting to give the reader context for what is being shared.
I hoped to learn more about the creation and content of each episode and original TNG film. Instead, it mostly felt like a summary of first draft scripts and a beat-by-beat take on which special effects were done by whom. Not much to expand my perspective as a longtime viewer. Maybe if I'd read the first edition back in 1992, it would have blown my mind. In 2026, it's not bringing much to the table.
March 1, 2018
A forza di rileggere e sfogliare questa utilissima guida i miei fratelli ed io l'abbiamo quasi distrutta.
Ma è sempre un piacevole ripasso quando hai da verificare qualche episodio e non hai il tempo (ovverso quasi sempre) di riguardarti gli episodi.
Ma è sempre un piacevole ripasso quando hai da verificare qualche episodio e non hai il tempo (ovverso quasi sempre) di riguardarti gli episodi.
December 13, 2023
2.5 stars.
Quite oddly made, compared to the DS9 companion, with a stark lack of new interviews and a very strange amount of errors (both in spellings and content). I do have many parts highlighted, though, and reading about what was cut from earlier drafts of scripts was enlightening.
Quite oddly made, compared to the DS9 companion, with a stark lack of new interviews and a very strange amount of errors (both in spellings and content). I do have many parts highlighted, though, and reading about what was cut from earlier drafts of scripts was enlightening.
March 28, 2025
This review is for the 1992 first edition.
When the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion was released in 1992, it was an epic work of fandom. Larry Nemecek catalogued not only production details and trivia about every episode of the first five seasons, but also dove into the history of the show’s preproduction, casting, and more. Before the Internet, this was a definitive source of TNG information. If there’s any shortfalls to this edition, it’s that it only covers seasons 1-5 — something Nemecek would rectify with later releases.
When the Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion was released in 1992, it was an epic work of fandom. Larry Nemecek catalogued not only production details and trivia about every episode of the first five seasons, but also dove into the history of the show’s preproduction, casting, and more. Before the Internet, this was a definitive source of TNG information. If there’s any shortfalls to this edition, it’s that it only covers seasons 1-5 — something Nemecek would rectify with later releases.
November 27, 2025
Was kind of hoping it would go deeper. There were cool insights when it came to how TNG and the casting came together. But as it went on to recap every episode and the movies, it became somewhat monotonous at points.
May 3, 2020
Thrifted this a while back. Paints a very rosy picture of behind the scenes happenings, glossing over many events. Also the author clearly has a hate-on for Riker and Deanna's relationship.
November 14, 2021
Loads of neat little details about the show itself.
January 4, 2017
Damn -- I still wish I had this book.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of my favorite television shows of all time. I remember scratching my head and saying, "Is that it?" at the end of the original broadcast of the series pilot back in 1987. I also remember predicting, "Oh, this show will never last."
I remember those two things -- and yet I cannot remember many of the plots of the episodes I've come to love and cherish in the series -- which rapidly improved in the second through final seasons. This was a good reference book for me in the years when the series was still considered fresh and I tried to figure out what the heck happened in the first season when I didn't give a damn about the show.
And HEAVEN FORBID you get so hooked on the show that you start reading the novels -- like I did. Sometimes the novels refer to bits from television episodes and you have to quick realize you've forgotten that particular bit from the episode.
And YES, I know there are Star Trek websites and wikis galore to get you up-to-date on all things ST:TNG, but there's something about having it all in one book (real book -- not eBook) that is that much more special than a starship full of websites. Stephen King defined it as, "you can take it to bed with you." I don't think it can be put better.
Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of my favorite television shows of all time. I remember scratching my head and saying, "Is that it?" at the end of the original broadcast of the series pilot back in 1987. I also remember predicting, "Oh, this show will never last."
I remember those two things -- and yet I cannot remember many of the plots of the episodes I've come to love and cherish in the series -- which rapidly improved in the second through final seasons. This was a good reference book for me in the years when the series was still considered fresh and I tried to figure out what the heck happened in the first season when I didn't give a damn about the show.
And HEAVEN FORBID you get so hooked on the show that you start reading the novels -- like I did. Sometimes the novels refer to bits from television episodes and you have to quick realize you've forgotten that particular bit from the episode.
And YES, I know there are Star Trek websites and wikis galore to get you up-to-date on all things ST:TNG, but there's something about having it all in one book (real book -- not eBook) that is that much more special than a starship full of websites. Stephen King defined it as, "you can take it to bed with you." I don't think it can be put better.
February 17, 2013
I am a big fan of Star Trek, and I really enjoyed revisiting TNG episodes I haven't thought about or seen in ages. This book provides a different perspective on the show, discussing the special effects and technical challenges, script-writing, and alternative story ideas that never saw the light of day. It's a fascinating look at how one of the best shows on television operated, and a glimpse at ideas that might have been.
That said, there is one major flaw that prevented me from rating it higher: extremely poor copy editing. This book appears to have been rushed through without comprehensive review. Spelling errors, particularly names, are found in nearly every entry of the last two seasons. Words are missing in sentences, making them difficult to understand. In one particularly glaring error, a paragraph of behind-the-scenes commentary from one episode ended up in the middle of the commentary for a completely different episode! I think it's unfortunate that such an interesting book was fraught with so many problems. Still, if you forgive the errors, it's a wonderful read.
That said, there is one major flaw that prevented me from rating it higher: extremely poor copy editing. This book appears to have been rushed through without comprehensive review. Spelling errors, particularly names, are found in nearly every entry of the last two seasons. Words are missing in sentences, making them difficult to understand. In one particularly glaring error, a paragraph of behind-the-scenes commentary from one episode ended up in the middle of the commentary for a completely different episode! I think it's unfortunate that such an interesting book was fraught with so many problems. Still, if you forgive the errors, it's a wonderful read.
June 8, 2007
I love this book. My dad had the first version sitting on his coffee table when I was little, and I read it so much that he picked me up the newer version (with all seven seasons and Generations) for a birthday.
This is the show companion that I compare to all other companions before I buy them. I love the plot summaries for each episode and the introduction for each season. My favorite feature, however, that I have never found in other companions, is the "behind-the-scenes" details for each episode, sharing anecdotes about the story's history and guest stars, as well as technical flubs.
The most comprehensive guide to the television series you will ever find. I'm definitely going to go out and get myself the newest version.
This is the show companion that I compare to all other companions before I buy them. I love the plot summaries for each episode and the introduction for each season. My favorite feature, however, that I have never found in other companions, is the "behind-the-scenes" details for each episode, sharing anecdotes about the story's history and guest stars, as well as technical flubs.
The most comprehensive guide to the television series you will ever find. I'm definitely going to go out and get myself the newest version.
February 13, 2011
It's not quite to the level of the DS9 Companion, as it's missing the warts-and-all opinions from the writers and producers, and the final two seasons have larger analysis sections than the first five seasons.
Overall, this book is a bit more restrained, especially on the movie front. But it's not "too" restrained...which means we still end up with a fine record of The Next Generation, from the moment of its birth, to it's ground-breaking run on TV and the silver screen. Well worth the read.
Overall, this book is a bit more restrained, especially on the movie front. But it's not "too" restrained...which means we still end up with a fine record of The Next Generation, from the moment of its birth, to it's ground-breaking run on TV and the silver screen. Well worth the read.
February 2, 2013
The first edition of this book is pretty good, though it tends to have a lot of tangental photos for the episodes. A bit too much background info in places, as well; I could really care less about behind-the-scenes politics and that sort of thing. A one-paragraph synopsis does not warrant three-quarters of a page of background information. Still, it at least gives a lot of character information and covers the entire series, up to the Star Trek Generations movie.
Read
April 8, 2009http://nwhyte.livejournal.com/1208404.html[return][return]Does the duty of a book like this, each episode getting a very brief plot, cast and crew summary and a slightly longer behind-the-scenes commentary, with a bit more commentary of each of the seasons
November 25, 2012
This was a great find for me when I was into ST:TNG all those years ago. It's really in-depth and has lots of tidbits of information that enthusiasts of the show will appreciate. Really great gift idea for fans of the show.
July 30, 2007
An invaluable resource to achieving true dorkitude.
August 13, 2009
Covers the first 44 episodes of the series.
Read
February 24, 2015COMPANION: STAR TREK, NEXT GENERATION (Star Trek Next Generation (Unnumbered)) by Nemecek (1992)
Read
December 2, 2010COMPANION: STAR TREK, NEXT GENERATION (Star Trek Next Generation (Unnumbered)) by Nemecek (1992)
July 17, 2011
Interesting look at what goes on into making the tv show, but lacks the detail of similar books
September 2, 2011
Someone should have proofread this before it was published. Not as good as the Deep Space 9 Companion. Still, it's always good to get a little extra Star Trek!
August 7, 2012
Nice to have while watching the show. Provides notes and information on every episode in production order.
January 4, 2015
A fun recap of TNG episodes. Some interesting tidbits. They could have dug a bit deeper in terms of rating or evaluating the episodes. But nonetheless, a fun recap of all of the episodes.
January 10, 2017
As good as The Twilight Zone companion, full of excellent backstories and behind the scenes information. Essential for anyone with a passing interest in the series.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews