Encounter at Farpoint
In this episode, the crew of the newly built Enterprise examine the mysterious Farpoint Station which the Bandi people are offering to the Federation, while under the scrutiny of a powerful godlike entity that calls itself "Q" (John de Lancie).
After the show was initially announced on October 10, 1986, Roddenberry put together a production team which included staff members from the original series such as Robert H. Justman.
Enterprise is to open relations with the simple Bandi people, who have somehow been able to tap immense energy reserves and construct Farpoint Station, much to the surprise of the Federation.
As the Enterprise arrives, the crew members explore the offerings of Farpoint Station and establish relations with their Bandi host, Groppler Zorn (Michael Bell).
Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis), an empath, senses a being with powerful yet despairing emotions nearby, and the crew discover a strange labyrinth beneath the station, but Zorn does not offer an explanation.
As the Enterprise crew continues its explorations, a large unknown alien craft enters orbit, begins to fire upon an older Bandi settlement near Farpoint Station, and abducts Zorn.
He confirms with the apologetic Zorn that the Bandi found a similar lifeform injured on their planet and, while attempting to care for it, they also exploited its ability to synthesize matter to create Farpoint Station.
As the crew watches the reunion of the alien creatures, Q reluctantly tells Picard that the humans have succeeded in their test, but hints that they will meet again.
[3] When the decision was made not to proceed with the Paramount network it had been slated to be the flagship for, and interest in a new movie was piqued after the release of Star Wars.
"[4] All four major networks turned down the new Star Trek series, as they were not willing to commit to a twenty-six-hour first season with a guaranteed unchanging time slot as well as a promotional campaign for the show.
[7] The original premise involved the Enterprise and the USS Starseeker approaching an alien lifeform captured by a race called the Annoi and turned into a weapon.
[3] Other items were also added in order to lengthen the episode, including the saucer separation sequence and the appearance of Admiral Leonard McCoy.
While some characters such as Geordi La Forge and Beverly Crusher remain recognizable from their descriptions in the initial casting call, others have clear differences; "Julien Picard" would lapse into a French accent when he became emotional, and Data was non-Caucasian.
[9] Macha Hernandez was a Latino security chief based on Jenette Goldstein's role in Aliens, while Deanna Troi was to appear "foreign" or more specifically of an Icelandic or Scandinavian nature.
[3] Stewart was pleased to have received the role, saying that his children were impressed with the new part and praised the mythos of the show saying, "The great strength of Star Trek is its epic, classic feel.
[3] LeVar Burton had worked with Justman on another pilot for a series called Emergency Room and was suggested to apply for the role of La Forge.
"[3] Colm Meaney was cast in the part of the conn ensign on the ship's battle bridge, and after a further appearance in the episode "Lonely Among Us", his character was given the name Miles O'Brien in season two.
There was a certain degree of uncertainty regarding job security during the pilot for the main cast, as they did not hear until after production had wrapped that the show had been picked up for a further thirteen episodes.
[17] Due to what was seen as a low budget for the pilot and series in general, the existing sets and equipment from the Star Trek movies were re-used in the new show.
ILM was also integral to the development of the "jump to warp" special effect, which resulted in the company remaining on the show's end credits through its entire run.
In several locations, including Dallas, Los Angeles, Seattle and Miami, the stations which were broadcasting "Encounter at Farpoint" gained higher ratings than the four major networks during prime time.
[32] Bob Niedt reviewed "Encounter at Farpoint" for Newhouse News and thought that the show had potential on the back of the episode, but there were problems such as "spots where the dialogue is pedestrian and interactions sputter".
[33] Tom Shales of The Washington Post viewed DeForest Kelley's cameo as "touching", but thought that Patrick Stewart was a "grim bald crank who would make a better villain".
[29] Actress Marina Sirtis later recalled the reviews of the show's debut in 1987 while being interviewed to promote The Next Generation's fourth film, Star Trek: Nemesis, saying "they bloody hated us".
[30] He praised the performance of Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, describing him as a "damn fine actor" and enjoyed John de Lancie as Q.
[37] Keith DeCandido for Tor.com thought that the pace of the episode was slow, but that both Patrick Stewart and Brent Spiner stood out from the rest of the cast for good reasons.
[45] Star Trek: The Next Generation made its debut on VHS in September 1991 with "Encounter at Farpoint" as a feature-length episode on a single tape.
It was featured on the single disc sampler of the series which was launched prior to any full season box sets in early 2012, entitled Star Trek: The Next Generation – The Next Level along with two other episodes.
[52] "Encounter at Farpoint" first aired as a single 2 hour long movie (including commercials) in broadcast syndication starting the week of September 28, 1987.
The Q Continuum trilogy of novels, featuring the character Q, was conceived by John J. Ordover at Pocket Books and written by Greg Cox.
