Star Trek: The Next Generation TV Review | Common Sense Media

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Parents' Guide to

Star Trek: The Next Generation TV Syndicated Science Fiction 1987 Star Trek: The Next Generation Poster Image
  • Common Sense Says
  • Parents Say 20 Reviews
  • Kids Say 29 Reviews

Common Sense Media Review

By Will Wade , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 10+

Still going boldly, updated series is fun for all.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Star Trek: The Next Generation is pretty different from the original series. While the first series broke ground for addressing important social issues, The Next Generation is more focused on pure entertainment than social…

 Why Age 10+? Violence & Scariness

Plenty of spaceship battles, phaser shootouts, and even the occasional fistfight

 Language

Infrequent use of verbal put-downs and swear words like "damn" and "ass."

 Sex, Romance & Nudity

Mild flirting and occasional romance, but no onscreen nudity. Characters are som

 Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Some social drinking, but nobody ever seems drunk. Characters on the Enterprise

Products & Purchases Not present

Though no product references, Star Trek is a major franchise associated with man

 Any Positive Content? Positive Role Models

Starfleet places a premium on conformity and obedience. Characters, often guided

 Positive Messages

The series highlights the importance of empathy and respecting other (alien) rac

  • Parents Need to Know

    Parents need to know that Star Trek: The Next Generation is pretty different from the original series. While the first series broke ground for addressing important social issues, The Next Generation is more focused on pure entertainment than social commentary. It's plenty of fun; the special effects are a vast improvement over the original; and many episodes do try to make a larger point, but in general the goal is simply storytelling. And that's just fine. The show contains frequent sci-fi violence, but for the most part it's bloodless. Swearing is infrequent, as is romance.

  • Violence & Scariness

    some

    Plenty of spaceship battles, phaser shootouts, and even the occasional fistfight -- but the conflicts are generally pretty bloodless.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

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  • Language

    a little

    Infrequent use of verbal put-downs and swear words like "damn" and "ass."

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Sex, Romance & Nudity

    a little

    Mild flirting and occasional romance, but no onscreen nudity. Characters are sometimes seen in bed together and sex is implied. Occasional episodes revolve around concepts of sexuality both alien and familiar, including a species of aliens who are all homosexual, and a traditional Betazoid nude wedding (no body parts shown).

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

    very little

    Some social drinking, but nobody ever seems drunk. Characters on the Enterprise drink Synthohol, a synthetic alcohol.

    Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

    Get started Close

  • Products & Purchases

    none

    Though no product references, Star Trek is a major franchise associated with many products.

  • Positive Role Models

    a lot

    Starfleet places a premium on conformity and obedience. Characters, often guided by Captain Jean-Luc Picard, often debate right and wrong and how their actions will affect others. Picard is a thoughtful, sincere leader who strives to be the best example he can be, while also being a good friend and captain. The show is often racially diverse both in its main cast and guest stars. Women are often shown as high-ranking Starfleet officers.

  • Positive Messages

    some

    The series highlights the importance of empathy and respecting other (alien) races and cultural traditions while co-existing peacefully. Storylines sometimes act as metaphors for contemporary social issues, like discrimination and ethical practices in scientific research. Additional themes include communication, courage, and teamwork.

Where to Watch

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Star Trek: The Next Generation

Parent and Kid Reviews

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  • Parents Say (20)
  • Kids Say (29)
age 9+

Based on 20 parent reviews

See all 20 parent reviews age 10+

Based on 29 kid reviews

Kids say this series is a beloved classic that features great characters and thought-provoking storytelling, although many note that it includes some mature content, particularly in the earlier seasons. Parents are advised to watch certain episodes with their children or skip a few due to more intense themes like violence and sexual references, as well as suggestive content that may not be suitable for younger viewers.

  • character development
  • mature content
  • family viewing
  • skip episodes
  • positive messages
Summarized with AI
See all 29 kid reviews

What's the Story?

STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION stars Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) as the unflappable captain of the new Enterprise. He is a calm and organized leader -- a sharp contrast to the original Star Trek's James T. Kirk (William Shatner). While TNG is about mankind's ongoing quest to promote peace and tranquility, it's also about having adventures in space. These adventures take the lively crew to far-flung planets and into the past and future. All the while, Picard wrestles with the Prime Directive -– his oath to help people and fix problems without imposing his own will on others.

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Is It Any Good?

Our review: Parents say (20 ): Kids say (29 ):

The real accomplishment of this series is that it managed to create an entire future universe that seems plausible, is nearly religious about maintaining internal consistency, and is loads of fun to watch. Star Trek: The Next Generation is much bigger than the original series -- the bridge, where much of the action takes place, is bigger, the crew is bigger, and even the Federation seems to cover more of the galaxy. Each episode seems to introduce a new race of people (or creature -– or even entity), so viewers might need a guidebook to keep track of which ones are allies and which are hostile. (Fortunately, the series was so popular in its seven seasons on the air that several of those books are available.)

TNG gradually created an elaborate canon of Star Trek lore, which has been replicated in three additional spin-off shows. This complex, finely nuanced interior literature gave the series a strong foundation for storytelling, and many of the episodes have complex, intriguing plots and profound social undercurrents.

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Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the Prime Directive in Star Trek: The Next Generation, which is never interfere in the natural pace of another race's development, because it's almost certain to permanently alter their evolutionary path, and not always for the better. Do you agree with this approach? Does it have any parallels in real life? Are there times when doing what seems like the humane thing can have negative consequences?

  • What is the appeal of the Star Trek shows? How are some of the other Star Trek shows and movies different from and similar to each other? Which one is your favorite?

  • This series, like the original series, has a lot of diversity in its cast. Why does having diverse media role models matter?

  • How do the characters in Star Trek: The Next Generation demonstrate communication and empathy? What about teamwork and courage? Why are these important character strengths?

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TV Details

  • Premiere date : September 28, 1987
  • Cast : Brent Spiner , Jonathan Frakes , LeVar Burton , Patrick Stewart
  • Network : Syndicated
  • Genre : Science Fiction
  • Topics : Activism ( Civic engagement , Gender equality ) , STEM ( AI , Science ) , Space , History , Friendship
  • Character Strengths : Communication , Courage , Empathy , Teamwork
  • TV rating : TV-PG
  • Last updated : October 9, 2025
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Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Star Trek: The Next Generation

Suggest an Update

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Related Topics

  • Communication
  • Courage
  • Empathy
  • Teamwork
  • Activism
  • AI
  • STEM
  • Civic engagement
  • Gender equality
  • Science
  • Space
  • History
  • Friendship

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