All Good Things... (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
"All Good Things..." | |
---|---|
Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes | |
Episode nos. | Season 7 Episodes 25 & 26 |
Directed by | Winrich Kolbe |
Written by | |
Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
Cinematography by | Jonathan West |
Production code | 277 & 278 |
Original air date | May 23, 1994 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
Guest appearances | |
| |
"All Good Things..." is the
Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet crew of the Federation starship Enterprise-D. The plot involves Captain Jean-Luc Picard jumping through time and the formation of an anomaly that defies causality, the whole situation being a test that allows Picard to demonstrate human potential to the Q Continuum by making an intuitive leap of faith to understand the cause of, and how to eliminate, the anomaly before it destroys humanity.
The finale received universal acclaim, and marked the transition of the cast to films featuring the show's cast and settings, as well as passing the television audience to Star Trek spin-offs based on similar settings to The Next Generation.
Plot
In the present, Picard is ordered to take the Enterprise to the edge of the
As Picard arrives at the anomaly in all three time periods, he discovers that the anomaly is much larger in the past, but does not exist at all in the future. As the past and present Enterprises scan the anomaly with inverse tachyon pulse beams, the Pasteur is attacked by
Picard finds himself facing Q in the courtroom as before. Q congratulates Picard for being able to think in multiple timelines simultaneously to solve the puzzle, which is proof that humanity can still evolve, much to his surprise. Q admits to helping Picard solve it with the time jumping, since he was the one that put them in this situation, and then goes on to explain that the anomaly has been stopped and that his past and present have been restored. He then withdraws from the courtroom and bids farewell to Picard by saying "See you ... out there". Picard then returns to the Enterprise of the present, no longer jumping through time.
As the senior staff members play their regular poker game, they reflect on the details of the future the captain related to prevent them from drifting apart. For the first time, Picard decides to join the game, expressing regret he had not done so before, and being reminded that he was always welcome.
Production
Ronald D. Moore and Brannon Braga expected Michael Piller, the show's head writer and one of its executive producers, or Jeri Taylor would write the finale; consequently, they wound up writing "All Good Things..." concurrently with Star Trek Generations, often confusing aspects of the two.[1] The finale took a month to write.[2]
The idea of what the series finale should be about had been a matter of discussion in the writers' room for a year or two prior to the finale being written. The writers knew early on they wanted to do an episode featuring Q, to "bookend" his key role in the pilot.[2] An early draft of the script for the episode included a section with Captain Picard as Locutus of Borg, but was cut on the insistence of Piller, who thought the show worked best with fewer timelines to jump between. According to Braga, Hugh, the rescued Borg from "I, Borg" would have appeared, rescuing Picard from the Borg Collective.[3] Also cut from the script was a segment where the crew had to steal the Enterprise from a Starfleet museum (similar to events in the movie Star Trek III: The Search for Spock).[1] The final scene, in which the crew play a hand of poker together, was the last scene shot for the show.[2]
John de Lancie returned for his recurring role as Q.[4][5] Former cast members Denise Crosby (whose regular character Tasha Yar had died in the first season, and who had made two guest appearances since) and Colm Meaney (who had left the series during the sixth season, when his recurring character Miles O'Brien became a regular on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine), reprised their roles for scenes set in the past.[4][5]
The vineyard scene was shot at Callaway Vineyard and Winery in Temecula in southern California, in the United States.[6]
As the final scenes were filmed on the last day, the support staff and production crew came down to the set to see the end of the shoot on the series.[7]
A behind-the-scenes retrospective documentary called Journey's End: The Saga of Star Trek: The Next Generation, hosted by Jonathan Frakes, was filmed at the same time as the finale was being produced.[8]
Reception
The finale was said to be written as a "valentine" to the show's fans, and is often regarded as one of the series' best episodes.[1]
Broadcast
Both parts of "All Good Things..." were first broadcast on May 23, 1994, in
Critical reception
Contemporary reviews were positive. In 1994, USA Today called the two-part finale a "picture-perfect" ending to the series, giving it 3 1/2 stars out of 4.[13] "All Good Things..." won the 1995 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation,[14][15] and helped the show earn a 1994 Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama Series.[2]
The episode ranked fifth in
In 2015,
Marcus Berkmann's book Set Phasers to Stun: 50 Years of Star Trek said of the episode, "[it] is about symmetry, squaring the circle, giving shape to the series and also to the universe in which the series exists."[24] In 2017, Den of Geek ranked this episode as one of top 25 "must watch" episodes of TNG when paired with the series pilot "Encounter at Farpoint."[42] In 2017, Nerdist ranked this finale the tenth best episode of TNG.[25]
The Digital Fix said this was the third best episode of TNG.
Home media release and other adaptations
"All Good Things..." was originally released on VHS in the UK in its original 90 minute version, it was then re-released a few months later with a retrospective documentary "Journey's End: The Saga Of Star Trek: The Next Generation" as well as trailers for all seven Star Trek feature films. It was later released as a standalone Blu-ray with exclusive features.[37]
On July 7, 1997 "All Good Things..." was released on a PAL-format LaserDisc in the United Kingdom, for 19.98 pounds.[38]
This was released in Japan on LaserDisc on October 9, 1998, as part of the half-season collection Log.14: Seventh Season Part.2.[39] This set included episodes from "Lower Decks" to Part II of "All Good Things", with English and Japanese audio tracks.[39]
A
The paid online/streaming version of this episode, such as through Amazon Prime Video and/or a Paramount+ subscription, is a condensed cut for syndication. For example, sections of dialogue are missing from Part II, such as the exchange between Worf and Picard at 51:05, when Worf says "You have always used your knowledge of Klingon honor and tradition to get what you want from me..."[42]
Legacy
Writers for the TV show Lost cited Picard's time travel in the episode "All Good Things..." as a reference for how characters traveled through time in their 2008 episode "The Constant".[43]
After, and even during the time film shooting wrapped up for TNG, work also focused on the film Generations which was released later that year in 1994.[44] Meanwhile, a successor to TNG, Star Trek: Voyager was in development and was shooting by later in 1994, and aired in January 1995 for the launch of UPN.[45] The launch episode, one of the most expensive in TV history at $23 million, was watched by about 21.3 million people.[46][47]
The 1995 Star Trek novel Crossover by Michael Jan Friedman is set after this episode but before the movie Generations.[48]
According to producer Kevin Feige, "All Good Things..." served as an inspiration for character evolution in Avengers: Endgame.[49]
Notes
- ^ a b c Block, Paula M.; Erdmann, Terry J. (2012). Star Trek The Next Generation 365 (1st ed.). Abrams Books.
- ^ a b c d Nemetz, Dave (May 22, 2014). "'And the Sky's the Limit': The Writers of the 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' Series Finale Look Back, 20 Years Later". Yahoo TV. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ Altman & Gross 2016, p. 281.
- ^ ISBN 9780760343593.
- ^ ISBN 9781480355019.
- ^ Ogilvie, Jessica P. (November 4, 2015). "10 Star Trek Filming Locations You Need to Visit Before the New Series Premieres in 2017". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ Dillard 1996, p. 147.
- ^ Journey's End: The Saga of Star Trek - The Next Generation (1994) (TV). Available on VHS. See IMDb
- ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings - Season 7". TrekNation. Archived from the original on June 1, 2000. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings - Seasons 1-2". TrekNation. Archived from the original on May 31, 2000. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings - Seasons 3-4". TrekNation. Archived from the original on May 27, 2000. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "Star Trek: The Next Generation Nielsen Ratings - Seasons 5-6". TrekNation. Archived from the original on June 5, 2000. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ Roush, Matt (May 23, 1994), "'Star Trek' finale more than fulfills its mission", USA Today, p. D1
- ^ "The Hugo Awards by Year". Worldcon. Archived from the original on January 23, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "1995 Hugo Awards". The Hugo Awards. July 26, 2007. Retrieved June 24, 2013.
- ^ "'Star Trek: The Next Generation': The Top 10 Episodes". Entertainment Weekly. September 20, 2007. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ Handlen, Zack (December 22, 2011). "Star Trek: The Next Generation: 'All Good Things...'". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on September 5, 2017. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ DeCandido, Keith (April 3, 2013). "Star Trek: The Next Generation Rewatch: "All Good Things..."". Tor.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ DeCandido, Keith (April 5, 2013). "Star Trek: The Next Generation: Seventh Season Overview". Tor.com. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
- ^ "'Star Trek: The Next Generation': 10 Most Stunning Moments". The Hollywood Reporter. June 20, 2015. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- ^ Granshaw, Lisa (November 15, 2016). "Ranking the 15 best Star Trek time travel episodes". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 28, 2019.
- ^ "The 50 Greatest Star Trek moments of all time - 6". Radio Times. Retrieved July 6, 2019.
- ^ Star Trek: The Top 25 Episodes - IGN, May 20, 2013, retrieved August 5, 2019
- ^ Berkmann 2017, p. 246.
- ^ "The 11 Best STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION Episodes". Nerdist. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- ^ Whitbrook, James (February 21, 2018). "All 11 Versions of the U.S.S. Enterprise, Ranked". io9. Retrieved July 9, 2019.
- ^ "Star Trek: Ranking the 20 Best Time-Travel Episodes". CBR. November 30, 2018. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- ^ Mitchell, Nigel. "10 Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation". ThoughtCo. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
- ^ "'Star Trek: The Next Generation' - The 25 Best Episodes". The Hollywood Reporter. May 23, 2019. Retrieved May 27, 2019.
- ^ "The 10 Best Star Trek: TNG Episodes Of All Time". ScreenRant. March 7, 2019. Retrieved June 29, 2019.
- ^ "Star Trek: 10 Most Important TNG Episodes To Watch Before Picard". ScreenRant. July 27, 2019. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
- ^ "The TDF Top 10 - Star Trek: The Next Generation". Television @ The Digital Fix. June 8, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2021.
- ^ "Our Seven Essential Picard Episodes from Star Trek: TNG". January 21, 2020. Retrieved January 21, 2020.
- ^ "The Star Trek Finales, Ranked Worst To Best (According To IMDb)". ScreenRant. May 13, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
- ^ "The 10 Best Star Trek The Next Generation Episodes, Ranked". CINEMABLEND. February 17, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ Honorof, Marshall (April 12, 2021). "Prepare for Picard Season 2 with every Q episode, ranked". Tom's Guide. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ Wright, Matt (December 7, 2014). "Star Trek: The Next Generation – All Good Things – Blu-ray review". Trekmovie.com. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
- ^ "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Next Generation: All Good Things [PLTEB 35521]". lddb.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ a b "LaserDisc Database - Star Trek Next Generation: Log.14: Seventh Season Part.2 [PILF-2438]". lddb.com. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- ^ Ayers 2006, p. 319.
- ^ Ayers 2006, pp. 317–318.
- ^ MayXX, HuZim. "Star Trek - The Next Generation". Movie Censorship. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
- ^ Damon Lindelof, Carlton Cuse, Mark Goldman (2008). Audio commentary for "The Constant" (DVD). Buena Vista Home Entertainment. Lost: The Complete Fourth Season Disk 2
- ^ Okuda.
- ISBN 9781476632803.
- ^ Nowalk, Brandon (May 28, 2013). "Star Trek: Voyager accidentally presided over the franchise's decline". AV Club. Onion Inc.
- ^ Franklin, Garth (October 4, 2016). "A Closer Look At The 'Westworld' Budget". Dark Horizons. Dark Futures Pty.
- ISBN 978-1-4711-0905-8.
- ^ @avengers (August 3, 2019). "I liked the idea of allowing our characters to evolve" (Tweet). Retrieved December 6, 2022 – via Twitter.
References
- Altman, Mark A.; Gross, Edward (1995). Captains Log Supplemental II. London: Boxtree. ISBN 0-7522-0938-8.
- Altman, Mark; Gross, Edward (2016). The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years. New York: Thomas Dunne Books. ISBN 978-1-25008-947-2.
- Ayers, Jeff (2006). Voyages of Imagination. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-1-41650349-1.
- Berkmann, Marcus (2017). Set Phasers to Stun: 50 Years of Star Trek. London: Abacus. ISBN 978-034914-115-2.
- Dillard, J. M. (1996). Star Trek: "Where No One Has Gone Before". New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-67151-149-4.
- Erdmann, Terry J.; Block, Paula M. (2008). Star Trek 101. New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-743-49723-7.
- Geralty, Lincoln (2008). The Influence of Star Trek on Television, Film and Culture. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. ISBN 978-0-786-43034-5.
- Jones, Mark; Parkin, Lance (2003). Beyond the Final Frontier. London: Contender Books. ISBN 978-1-84357-080-6.
- Krauss, Lawrence (2007). The Physics of Star Trek. New York: Basic Books. ISBN 978-0-465002-047.
- Nemecek, Larry (2003). Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion (3rd ed.). New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 0-7434-5798-6.
- Okuda, Michael (September 28, 2004). Star Trek Generations; Text commentary (DVD; Disc 1/2). Paramount Pictures.
- Reeves-Stevens, Judith; Reeves-Stevens, Garfield (1998). Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Continuing Mission (2nd ed.). New York: Pocket Books. ISBN 978-0-67102-559-5.
- Robb, Brian J. (2012). A Brief Guide to Star Trek. London: Robinson. ISBN 978-1-849-01514-1.
- Van Hise, James; Schuster, Hal (1995). The Complete Trek: The Next Generation. Pioneer Books. ISBN 978-1-55698-377-1.
External links
- "All Good Things..." at IMDb
- "All Good Things..." at Memory Alpha