Until 1987, when anyone thought of Star Trek, they pictured Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Lt. Uhura, and space as it was seen in the 1960s—before the moon landing. Then, on Sept. 28, 1987, everything changed. Star Trek: The Next Generation warped onto syndicated TV, and suddenly the captain of the USS Enterprise was Jean-Luc Picard, a bald Frenchman who spoke with an English accent. He was in charge of an all-new starship Enterprise leading a completely different crew. It took some time, but once TNG hit its stride it won over legacy fans and cultivated followers of its own. And its influence only grew from there. It’s hard to imagine the Marvel Cinematic Universe or the Star Wars franchise on Disney+ without TNG bravely proving that pop culture mythologies can be expanded, reshaped and redefined. Star Trek: The Next Generation transformed Gene Roddenberry’s original creation and entertainment as we know it—and it almost didn’t happen. This is the story of a sci-fi miracle.