The Next Generation Cast on the Best, Worst (and Future) of Star Trek

With Star Trek: Picard Season 3 finally here, and the Next Generation cast back in action, IGN's Scott Collura sat down with LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Michael Dorn (Worf), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), and showrunner Terry Matalas to look at what the return of the TNG cast means for the future of Star Trek.
In this full, 30-minute chat from our IGN Fan Fest event, the team also look back at their favorite episodes of TNG, as well as some of the true low points of their time on Star Trek. And, of course, they get into lots of teases regarding what to expect as Riker, Worf, Geordi and the rest work with Jean-Luc Picard once again!

[@carriew5106]

When Jonathan talks about the magic of Kirk, Spock and Bones had and how they were looking for that, my immediate reaction was how TNG had that, but it was a larger group. You can't pick just 3 of the TNG cast. It's the whole group, together, that creates the magic.

[@LucasJRice]

Data, Laforge, Worf. Done

[@marvthedog1972]

Worf, Riker, Data. done

[@nicholaschisholm7018]

Data, X, Y

[@StinkManX]

barclay

[@Leadeshipcoach]

@Carrie W… I thought the exact same thing when he said that. The magic was in the whole ensemble!👍

[@amy_grace]

The interviewer did a great job throwing in prompts here and there and then just letting these gentlemen talk. Less is so much more with legends like these-really appreciated the light touch!

[@gdoumit]

This cast is absolute magic. The show wouldn't have been what it was without their chemistry.

[@Argumemnon]

Let's not forget to thank the people in charge of casting. They often get overlooked.

[@firefly2k7uk]

Plus Terry has great chemistry with them all as well. 100% the right choice to take over on this show.

[@grumpyotter]

Levar said it - the magic is in the relationships

[@eagleschick95]

Well said!😁

[@eolsunder]

thats because we loved all the cast of the original and TNG. Sadly Picard show was so bad they had to bring all these great people back to save it lol.

[@rofyle]

I'm just glad Paramount finally got its act together and hired a show runner who can actually write science fiction and knows the franchise.

[@BladeV8]

I'm really hoping he sticks the landing after whatever S1 and S2 were. I've accepted newer Trek isn't really for me, but if they can have one show at least with this cast, I'll be a happy fan.

[@Scottlp2]

Fringe was great character driven SF, so the sad thing is Kurtzman, Goldsmith, etc can do it, they were just possessed by the zeitgeist.

[@tothorsi]

@@BladeV8 try SNW, it brings back the old magic.

[@DomBrownyo]

@@Scottlp2 Very intelligent thought.

[@Kainis80]

@@Scottlp2 Fringe was largely driven by its actors, especially John Noble. Kurtzman knew well enough to let Noble be Noble and follow his lead.

[@ghfun1]

LeVar talking about working with his daughter as father and daughter was beautiful 😢this is something father daughter will never forget. Great interview

[@sdswood3457]

Hearing LeVar talk about playing father and daughter with his own daughter on HIS SHOW got me teary eyed

[@MarshmallowMadnesss]

Sending love to Levar Burton as a fan who loved watching him in Reading Rainbow as a kid and later in TNG.

[@TheSithLord]

Big ups to him. Him and Fred rodgers got me through a lot.

[@michaelhawthorne8696]

@MarshmallowMadnesss He was in Roots too.

[@JKG82]

He's great... but you don't have to take My word for it

[@brianjohnston5221]

@@JKG82 👌

[@coreypayne9401]

Levar Burton is a goddamn national treasure.

[@maxwesty]

They all look terrific, but my goodness Michael Dorn, he is just sublime.

[@Dreadpirateflappy]

black don't crack.

[@Rensune]

​@@Dreadpirateflappy Levar Burton is Black. He literally starred in Roots

[@1IGG]

@@Rensune And he also looks fantastic.

[@nerfherder4284]

Love me some Levar, but for real Michael Dorn is one handsome dude, even as a Klingon 😂

[@diamondrel5190]

PatStew looks like a fossil lol

[@TheEchophond]

Matalas said at 5:31 "The more things change the more they stay the same." LITERAL last spoken line in Deep Space 9 by Quark. What a deep cut...

[@No-xr7vx]

Isn't that a cliche that is said all the time by everyone?

[@justinplace5116]

@@No-xr7vx Yes, it's a fairly popular line which originates from Dicken's "A Tale of Two Cities"

[@TheEchophond]

@@No-xr7vx Both.Yes. but it also happens to be a notable final line from one of the best Treks.

[@axepraise]

Don't forget it was sung by Geddy Lee from RUSH in the song Circumstances

[@handyandy2112]

@@axepraise Amen Brother!!

[@tonygrout6767]

'His hands were moving so fast...' I'm glad I'm not the only who wells up during that scene.

[@cloudwatcher608]

Wells up, sure… (more like sobs like a baby for me)

[@gametime2473]

That "Best of Both Worlds" cliffhanger STILL gives me chills when Riker says, "fire".

[@ejkalegal3145]

And then it cuts back to Locutus and everyone suddenly looks 3 years older....

[@kiko1935]

Frakes trashing Insurrection for not having any diversity and then them saying "you directed that one!!" is hilarious

[@SomewhatSlightlyBored]

to be fair i'm sure he wasn't in charge of hiring the extras.

[@TheGamersGrotto]

Just because he directed it doesn't mean he was the script writer...

[@kiko1935]

@@TheGamersGrotto nobody said he was....... It was just a funny moment...............

[@MKDumas1981]

Skin-color diversity wasn't so important in 1998. "Those were the days."

[@paultardspambot]

insurrection had a lot of problems. Once they learn they're the same species it's an internal affair, the prime directive would forbid them getting involved.

[@wesleyhall3554]

Jonathan Frakes was just on Michael Rossenbaum's podcast. It was such an amazing talk.

[@thegalaxyhasclass]

Caught that too. Great show and Frakes is such a genuine cool cat.

[@franzschubertv2874]

@@thegalaxyhasclass he used to be cool. (Kidding)

[@michaelmeir-wright6204]

Johnathan roasting Terry Matalas at any opportunity is SO funny.

[@NXT_LVL]

4:10 Worf was comedic... in TNG and Ds9. Multiple times you thought he was serious, but it was hardcore levels of Klingon sarcasm...

[@thomasprislacjr.4063]

"DEATH TO THE OPPOSITION!" DS9 Baseball episode.

[@aninternetuser4306]

He sure had some cutting quips.

[@kristinazubic9669]

@@aninternetuser4306 still has! “Beheadings are on Wednesdays” is the new “on Wednesdays we wear pink”.

[@AlyssaNguyen]

Klingons are not sarcastic! 😂

[@whatevayalike]

worf is not your average klingon @@AlyssaNguyen

[@canadian__ninja]

The fact that Levar's daughter is Geordi's daughter is super cool.

[@Nerd704]

Frakes absolutley roasting his writers/casting people for Insurrection. And the cast dumping on "Code of Honor" was a lot of fun.

[@justjen139]

Terry Matalas, if you're reading these comments, you have done an amazing job and given this cast the story they richly deserved to have. I'm loving this season of Picard so far and can't wait for the next episode. To the cast, thank you all for a superb job. IGN, great interview!!

[@stevenpick9451]

Matalas is knocking it out of the park with this. Should have been a showrunner from the start.

[@JdeMolay]

The Drumhead is seriously one of the best episodes of Star Trek (the entire franchise) ever.

[@jakk222rem]

Two of the best episodes of this famed sci-fi series were courtroom dramas. Drumhead and Measure of a Man.

[@azzy9358]

@@jakk222rem Those episodes and Duet perhaps from DS9 represent what sci-fi is about.

[@cosmicwonders21]

The Inner Light is a special episode also. Timeless.

[@batmanjones655]

As an enthusiast of linguistics, the episode "Darmok" from season 5 is probably my all time favorite episode. Along with it's sister episode, "Dawn" from season 2 of 'Enterprise'

[@ChristianIce]

The best episode is "The Inner Light", hands down :) Truth is from the end of season 3 to the end of season 6 we've got an incredible series of masterpieces.

[@leechrec]

Suddenly I'm in a Star Trek TNG marathon again. Man it is still great.

[@kkelly80]

I'll never be tired of seeing these people together.

[@TheGreatGonzales777]

“Lavaar what what is like to work with your daughter?” “It was a tremendous gifts… but you don’t have to take… *my* word for it. 😐”

[@Steffen744]

Give Terry Matalas control over Star Trek. He clearly loves it and understands it. Not like some other people who are in charge right now...

[@davidhenley4338]

💯💯💯💯💯💯💯

[@terrible_-]

He actually has seen TNG, for one thing!!!!

[@DKTD23]

What do we need to do to make it happen? a petition? at least when it involves the TNG cast/25th century ST there is plenty of reason to keep making new material with these great actors

[@alexandermacdougall7873]

1st two episodes of season 3 have been great.

[@thegalaxyhasclass]

​@@alexandermacdougall7873 pleasantly surprised.

[@StannieDum1]

Watching this now that the show has finished its run, it strikes me as quite amazing how none of them smirk or even bat an eyelid when talking about how the Enterprise D is absent from, and not needed for, the plot of the final season.

[@andream9470]

Same as when they were talking about aging and Frakes shrugs and says "Not Data". Keeping all of that under wraps must have been so hard.

[@onemancinema4642]

Frakes is a delight. "Not till Monday." Brilliant.

[@orcasin112]

Johnathan "Not when it came out. But that Monday." Lol!

[@GaymingAndStuff]

This was such a great interview. You can tell Terry Matalas is such a fan, how devoted he is...and how the cast just absolutely loves and adore him. Just love it. Also, The Drumhead is hands down one of the BEST episodes of TNG ever! Truly great.

[@Nerd704]

The actors dancing around the fact that they all knew "The Enterprise" was going to be on the show during that question.

[@blackmage471]

Having LeVar Burton on screen with his daughter is one of the most magical moments in Star Trek history. I'm so happy for LeVar and Micah Burton, and for Geordi La Forge.

[@jonchowe]

It hasnt happened yet how do you know?

[@tonywong6884]

Every time Levar speaks I'm expecting a rainbow to shoot across the screen

[@ohara128]

Inner Light was better than most feature movies. Outstanding episode. What a great interview. Great Questions to get them all to open up to get those nuggets for us fans.

[@RoulinBrooks]

J.J. Abrams ends all his Star Trek movies the same. With Kirk or Spock punching the villain in the face. The Inner Light shows that it doesn't have to be that way. There's no villain or punching match in The Inner Light (or City on the Edge of Forever). Great episodes that today's filmmakers should learn from.

[@beayn]

One of my all time favorites.

[@richardbale3278]

Inner Light is one of the best episodes in television, all television history.

[@gregglesmigregglesmi3633]

Dayum! LeVar looking STYLISH! He brought the LEWK!

[@Sython6]

As long as we get more of Riker teasing Worf ill be happy.

[@Paddyooooooooo]

Terry is a treasure of our generation. What he made possible is amazing. As a fan, I'm eternally grateful.

[@johnvocatura1019]

I’m an old man now, but this makes me feel young again. Thank you all.

[@wahn10]

Michael Dorn's still got it. And then some. What joy to see him tear up the scenery again as the great Worf.

[@DMIXMusic]

Terry seems like an actual Star Trek fan. Give the keys of the franchise to him.

[@TomTubesYou]

LOL. So the guy says if it were TNG Season 8 it would be "more thoughtful" and Frakes immediately looks at him like "did you say that out loud"

[@BigCowProductions]

The honesty will come to the surface at times even if they don't want it to haha

[@pantherpopel551]

Its not a secret. Its bcs TNG had a comparatively small budget, that often forced the writers to have smaller, more philosophical episodes.

[@jellojiggler1693]

@@pantherpopel551 Because things with big budgets can't be philosophical. It's thinking like this that ruins cinema.

[@Mr_Kenneth]

Michael Dorn was phenomenal in this interview. Looks about 50!

[@MattVersus]

Dorn's laugh at the end had me cracking up! Dude fell apart at the thought of Terry being the exgf of TNG.

[@tarron3237]

That story about the Riker action figure really cracked me up

[@LuckyDragon289]

Thanks for the long-form interview! Really well-done and it's so great to see these legends back together again. Matalas should've run Picard from the beginning.

[@thegalaxyhasclass]

Agreed.

[@theamazingalsome]

It's great that they can still name actors and directors who were only a part of one or two episodes even from the early days. It shows how much they love the series and appreciate anyone who is a part of it.

[@brandonfrancey5592]

Probably a factor is all the conventions these guys do. With fans asking about "Whats you favorite episode." or "Who did you like working with." helps keeps those peoples names fresh.

[@LyleAshbaugh]

IMO, the best TNG interview ever! And I’ve watched a ton of them. Brought the “magic” back to me. Have tremendous respect for these guys. Edit: I’m glad they mentioned “Drumhead”. That ep is one of the absolute best of any series. Very profound and is even more relevant today.

[@jaketeske6665]

Matalas should be in charge of 25th Century/TNG era trek. He gets these characters and this franchise in ways other producers can only hope to claim to.

[@Hoganply]

Imagine how powerful the brand would've been with him at the helm from the beginning of NuTrek.

[@skatedurr]

@@Hoganply facts

[@NXT_LVL]

It helps when they were a fan who watched TNG during the era of TNG

[@LoyaFrostwind]

Similar to Star Wars’s Dave Filoni.

[@BeardedApeDad]

Fantastic Interview. This guy needs to run Star Trek from now on.

[@ianschulz1]

It’s sweet that they remember Nicholas Coster in The Offspring; that really was a great scene

[@jamesr.5085]

Thank you Thank you Thank you IGN for getting these 3 friends together. To listen to them talk like this about Star Trek was wonderful.

[@djbred18]

Terry should have been in charge of Picard all along

[@kravenkoa]

Terry Matalas needs full creative control over everything Star Trek.

[@TexAraujo]

Excellent group chat. Tough not spilling the Season 3 cool stuff that happened while talking roundabout the cool stuff that happened. Especially the dead stop by all when Frakes says "Elizabeth Dennehy" at 21:12 ... and smiles!

[@bigmediafan]

Season 3 is totally different gravy. They've finally nailed it and this is the last season!?

[@shauncraigparkinson8165]

Best interview in a long time

[@GeoffreySorensen]

Glad to see the longer interview! Interesting that both Dorn and Frakes said they didn't "get" The Inner Light, and Frakes also didn't "get" Yesterday's Enterprise. Two excellent episodes! And the discussion about Code of Honor was the first time I've seen the cast discuss this. So refreshing.

[@DanielSolis]

"Patrick and the flute?"

[@35mm21]

Pretty sure they were kidding because they both basically have no role in those episodes! They are both sidelined in Inner Light and Worf isn't in the changed timeline of Yesterday's

[@mikechisholm8745]

Coincidences… The writer of Code of Honor S1E4 of TNG also wrote Emancipation S1E4 of SG-1 where Carter is sold as property and has to fight a tribal chief. At least according to Wikipedia.

[@DanielSolis]

@@mikechisholm8745 yikes. They really had just one script, didn't they?

[@jellojiggler1693]

@@mikechisholm8745 Did they write anything else? Like the Chakotay episodes on Voyager?

[@TheBit01]

My mother was one of the original Star Trek fans that watched it when it first aired and it made a huge impact on her. She never her having that hesitancy towards accepting The Next Generation, especially since she was literally introducing the next generation (me) to Star Trek.

[@theadventuresofzoomandbettie]

My dad was the same, and me also with getting on board with him introducing me to TNG, then voyager.

[@ChrisVsLen]

This was a fantastic interview, they really opened up and they were being asked questions by someone who seemingly knew their stuff.

[@420Gold]

These guys may not be the OGs, but they’re still absolute legends.

[@thegalaxyhasclass]

To me, they are because they were my initiation into Star Trek at a very young age. But that by no means is any disrespect to the TOS crew. They are truely the OGs.

[@shaunsteele6926]

they're the OG's to all us Gen Xers who were too young for the original Trek, but grew up watching TNG

[@ThePresident001]

Yeah, they're the OGs to me.

[@henryfordyce9154]

One of the best, most sincere Star Trek cast interviews ever! Great job interviewing. Thank you so much!

[@paiwanhan]

@17:34 a mention for the great Robbie Duncan McNeill! Tom Paris mentioned by Will Tomas Riker.

[@sgtwanderer]

This interview has convinced me to give Picard another shot, after not getting through the first season.

[@MrAsmontero]

Second season was even worst for me, this one is a bit better

[@martinez1701a]

Yeah, they lost me with the evolution of the Borg and Q. I think ill give season 3 a chance.

[@buckjas]

What a fantastic interview! Seeing the cast together again is warmly nostalgic.

[@doubledown1138]

Great interview. These guys have obvious love and respect for each other.

[@HeyMySock]

So far, I'm loving this season of Picard. Levar is right, the magic is in the relationships. Thanks for doing this!

[@edmondott3748]

These guys are so amazing. Just to hear the dialogue among them was fun.

[@AC_702]

Great crew and cast. So far, Picard S3 is great! But we seriously need a DS9 reunion show

[@raphaeltoast]

That was a fantastic interview. It's great to see chemistry like this

[@nah88]

Drumhead is my favourite episode. So important today

[@jocax188723]

"This season, we're not on the Enterprise..." In retrospect: HAHAHA

[@LungMing23]

Terry thank you so much!! You nailed it. This is everything we've been asking for since the end of the TNG series. Thank you and well done!

[@scttymn]

What a great interview and cast. This season looks fantastic.

[@kael13]

This was great. What a lovely conversation!

[@jess_n_atx]

The fact they know and remember individual episodes after all these years is amazing. They truly care about their show.

[@stevekendra8983]

Class acts the whole cast! It is so great to see them back in action. We missed you guys!

[@ravipeiris4388]

Thank you for uploading and sharing with the rest of us.

[@RufusShinra]

This interview should blow up ! absolutely amazing !

[@luckystarpiano]

What a gift of an interview ❤ 🖖 thank you so much 👏

[@ZionBrock]

Absolutely love this interview, and getting to see them relaxed and at ease with what they say is so refreshing

[@JBearwa]

Enjoyed watching this after I’ve seen the season/series finale of Picard, which was just pure magic! This cast is incredible as was the story

[@TheApolloOffensive]

Terry is the Dave Filoni of Star Trek TNG you can clearly see how much he cares about the franchise as opposed to Kurtzman who is just out to glorify himself

[@terrible_-]

💯

[@dip_trippy]

Filoni is such a hack

[@TheApolloOffensive]

@@dip_trippy is this Kurtzmans burner account lol

[@GODCONVOYPRIME]

He only cares about selling worf action figures. Star Trek is dead. Who cares?

[@FomorViceroy]

You realize Kurtzman is the one who hired him, yes?

[@dougw6883]

Fantastic interview! I'm loving Season 3 of Picard!

[@gamingextreme87]

Great interview, and very interesting and funny responses. So happy we're getting REAL star trek again! Thanks to TERRY!

[@robertonline6543]

Great interview 👍 love hearing them remembering great moments.

[@originalblackplate]

Terrific interview! Thanks Terry ❤️

[@CelticStone]

wonderful, thank you to everyone involved for the last 35 years

[@MoniqueLawGEN1-3]

This season allows me to be in my Star Trek bubble that has me emotionally and intellectually stimulated! This was the best!

[@semimba]

Awesome interview with all great actors

[@dancerette1696]

This was WONDERFULLL and got me so excited to watch all of this

[@billkeithchannel]

If that action figure had the beard, it would have been 10x the price at least. The clean-shaven face was just not the right look for that character.

[@Lawfair]

For anyone who is interested, Insurrection and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier also lost money, if you account for advertising and the theaters cut. If you don't count those issues then all the movies made money, although Nemesis only barely so.

[@markadolph8715]

Star Trek V deserved to lose money. We shall not speak of it again. It lives in the same realm of banishment as Shamalan's Avatar

[@penoyer79]

@@markadolph8715 to be fair, the studio didn't exactly set up Star Trek 5 for success. Shatner was plagued with constant studio interference and meddling and also dealt with crippling budget cuts (which forced him to make dramatic changes to the script) all while filming. What's funny is when Takei heard Shatner was going to direct 5 he refused to be in it. Shatner had to convince him. Ironically, Takei said that Star Trek 5 was actually enjoyable to make largely thanks to Shatner who made the most of a bad situation, always keeping things light and fun on set even though it was clear the studio was hanging him out to dry.

[@gorkskoal9315]

People count insurrection and finalfrontier as movies?

[@JaimeWulf]

Excellant interview and no spoilers, but some hopeful teasers... Anxiously anticipating the 2nd episode today!

[@paulgaudet5572]

Nostalgia could not get any better.

[@Amp661]

Your right. It gets worse. Classics can never be left alone anymore...

[@k--music]

@@Amp661well, Star trek’s never really been a franchise to “leave the classics alone” so to speak

[@tonyarc9455]

They actually did it RIGHT this time with Picard 3!!! I cant wait till the next week! 😊

[@gothnev]

Great interview! The guys are such a laugh!

[@joshjones6072]

I've been loving Picard, the little glimpses we got just now make me want to see the next shows even more.

[@paulsandhu]

I’d love to see more 25th Century Trek. Not sure where this season ends up but hopefully there is a ship & crew we can follow.

[@GB-sh9st]

You can always watch Blade Runner. It has the same atmosphere.

[@HKy0uma]

Beta canon in a way for now, but Star Trek Online is a download away.

[@kristinazubic9669]

Some people seem to think we can hope for a Seven show after this.

[@hettbeans]

@@HKy0uma "Away" is where STO should stay

[@universalparadoxes2081]

Brilliant interview.

[@kenpope5798]

Great conversation 👏👏👏

[@qwertiepie]

Great interview, Terry if you are sincere about Trek as it seems here, you have my vote on taking the Trek universe to its next step. It seems that you realise the importance of its philosophy over flair.

[@GarionOrb]

They knew Nemesis was the last one. The theatrical posters pre-release said, "A generation's final journey begins." It was intended to be the last TNG film.