With episodic stories and plenty of interconnected characters to tell them, I love how Star Trek: The Next Generation feels like a soap opera set in space. Instead of a narrative connecting all its episodes, The Next Generation continued Star Trek: The Original Series’ tendency to tell separate stories through multiple episodes without getting stuck in a bigger, complicated plot. Some of the best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes of all time included drama usually reserved for soap operas, including stories that focused on the struggles of everyday life and the difficulty of familial and romantic relationships.

Spending years on a starship wasn’t always very exciting for the USS Enterprise-D’s crew, but since Star Trek: The Next Generation’s cast of characters was huge, the relationships between them ensured the Enterprise never had a dull day. These ongoing personal sagas provided a rich backstory for each character, and the drama from the relationships pushed The Next Generation beyond the sci-fi allure of space exploration. Despite Gene Roddenberry’s “no conflict” rule applied to its crew, Star Trek: The Next Generation still produced captivating stories by creating a rollercoaster of emotions through soap opera-like story development.

Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Episodic Style Explored The Daily Life Of The Enterprise’s Crew

Life on the USS Enterprise-D was anything but ordinary

I believe exploring the crew’s everyday lives is a big part of what made Star Trek: The Next Generation feel like a soap opera. Recurring characters and guest stars were seen doing familiar things in familiar places that showed up repeatedly throughout the show. With backdrops being consistent throughout all 7 seasons of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the commonplace scenery made the show feel like a home. This feeling contributed to the characters feeling more real, because we got to see them do things like cook, stroll the corridors, exercise, and even struggle to maintain a regular sleep schedule.

Soap operas are commonly set in a family home or a small town, allowing a large cast of characters to go through their ordinary lives while providing high-stakes entertainment. I think Star Trek: The Next Generation’s Starship Enterprise acted similarly to this as a bubble for the crew because characters primarily interacted with their fellow crew members. Lieutenant Worf (Michael Dorn) and Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) are a few Star Trek: The Next Generation characters who also had familial connections on the ship, and their respective children living aboard the ship provided an added family dynamic.

Star Trek: TNG’s Character-Driven Plots And Complex Relationships Provided Drama

Family, romance, drama, oh my!

The familial connections and Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s small town feel’ made me care about the USS Enterprise-D’s crew, and I wanted to see these beloved characters succeed together. Even though Gene Roddenberry’s “no conflict” rule hindered character development, Star Trek: The Next Generation’s crew still managed to change and grow alongside one another. The audience supported the crew of the Enterprise because we knew enough about the characters to care about them, including romance. Couples like Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Doctor Crusher (Gates McFadden) and Commander Riker (Jonathan Frakes) and Counselor Troi (Marina Sirtis) had off-and-on-again romances that kept everyone wondering if they would end up together.

The soap opera tactics employed by Star Trek: The Next Generation, like episodic seasons and dramatic interpersonal relationship twists, always kept the show interesting. Even Star Trek: The Next Generation’s biggest flaws aren’t enough to make me dislike the show. Under all the messiness of production and the occasional gaping plot holes commonly found in such a long-running series, Star Trek: The Next Generation is a gripping, emotional story about found family and the relationships they build. It just so happened to be set on a galaxy-class starship warping through space.