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Star Trek : The Next Generationis considered among some fans of theStar Trekfranchise to be the most striking representation of all its better qualities : friendly relationship , escapade , margin , and intellectual curio . It ’s said to illustrate the skillful inStar Trekstorytelling , with some of the most beloved characters in science fiction . But even for all its accolades , there is a price to be make up for writers and creatives that boldly go where no one has gone before — some plot line just are n’t go to pan out .
Due to its episodic nature , and the combination of author changes and creative differences , Next Generationsometimes stick in plot gadget or lineament that , though incredibly important to their episode , were never featured again . Some are as sinless as not to the full explicate an entity ’s purpose , but some seem particularly important to remember .
update on September 18th by Derek Draven : We’ve added 5 more unresolved TNG storylines which continue to leave fan in oblivion after so many years . Perhaps one twenty-four hours the response will come , but for now there ’s precious piddling to go on , so fan may only ruminate .
Ardra & Picard
Picard encounter his match in the season 4 episodeDevil ’s Duewhen a career criminal dumbfound as Ventax II ’s cultural eq of Satan . By playing upon the planet ’s fear regarding a long - preach return of the dreaded Ardra , she nearly succeeded in claiming the entire planet for herself .
finally Picard learned that the imposter utilized a travelling bag of technological tricks involving transporter and holographic emitters to simulate her suppose superpower . She was take into hands by the Ventaxian administration and vowed to cross way with Picard again , though it never happened .
The Fate Of Ensign Ro Laren
Ensign Ro became a fan favorite late into the series , but it was clear she was never contrive to be a regular cast penis . Actress Michelle Forbes did not require to commit to a syndicated TV series , and by the end of the show ’s run , her character was written out .
Her unsatisfying determination to conjoin the Maquis terrorist group send her character out in disgrace , and she was never seen again . Forbes also turned down an offer to reprize the character full clock time onStar Trek : Deep Space Nine , but again refused , which prompt the origination of Kira Nerys as a transposition .
Picard’s Irumodic Syndrome
Jean - Luc Picard is no unknown to physical afflictions . As a child he suffered from Shalaft ’s Syndrome , a hyper - sensitiveness to sound , and in his ripe year he would acquire Irumodic Syndrome , a variant of Alzheimer ’s disease . This particular affliction struck Picard in an alternating timeline comprised by Q as a last test of humanity , but it seems plausible that he was susceptible to it in the standard timeline as well .
The 2019Picardspin - off series again references a chronic condition in which he confirms he was " was told a foresightful sentence ago that it might cause a problem eventually . " This may or may not be Irumodic Syndrome , which think this particular patch yarn remain up in the melodic phrase for discourse .
Captain Montgomery Scott
Mr. Scott decorate theTNGseries after the Enterprise find his crash ship against the hull of a monolithic Dyson Sphere which he had been researching . Upon retrieve his pattern from the Transporter Buffer , he aided the Enterprise - D in further study ( and escape ) of the Sphere .
With 80 + days of catching up to do , Mr. Scott left the Enterprise to pursue another adventure . What became of him is anyone ’s dead reckoning , as his character was never give a wrapper - up in the same direction that Spock was .
Commander Sela’s Story Arc
After Denise Crosby exitedThe Next Generationjust prior to the end of the first season , the actress made several cameo appearances in subsequent episode before bless on as occasional character Commander Sela , the daughter of Yar and a Romulan male .
After several botched attempts to advance Romulan expansion into Federation territory ( most notably a energy to invade Vulcan ) , her lineament disappeared from the series all told . FutureStar Treknovels go on her character arc going , but as far as the TV blank space perish , the showrunners missed an chance to chip at out a unequalled storyline .
The Experiments Of The “Schism” Aliens
Imagine going to catch some Z’s not knowing that alien beings were experimenting on you while you dreamed ? The Enterprise crew ab initio has no idea they ’re the dupe of nocturnal medical experimentation in “ Schisms ” , and the creatures only leave once they begin to suspect something ’s amiss .
These interdimensional beings never deliver toThe Next Generation , so viewing audience ( and the rest of the crew ) do n’t get to find out why they were try out on the Enterprise gang in the first place , or what they were doing with the datum they collected . Starfleet never see out anything about them after their first and only visual aspect .
The Conspiracy Parasites
When the senior faculty of Starfleet have their minds take over by a multitude of alien parasites , it makes for a gripping and unsettling installment inTNG’sfirst season . Captain Picard and the rest of the Enterprise crew have to find a way to stop the wight from infiltrating the entire Federation and corrupting it from within .
At the conclusion of the installment , the crew discover that the parasites managed to send a content to their homeworld , telling them to head to Earth . Obviously this would have been withering , but the cliffhanger twist out to take nowhere , and the parasite never feature again . Did they make it to Earth ? If so , why didn’tStarfleetsay anything ?
Wesley Crusher & The Traveler
When Star Trek fans found out that “ Journey ’s death ” would be the last episode to feature Wesley Crusher , they were elated . The son wonder that had been have as an honorary Starfleet fellow member ( prior to schooling ) and generate responsibilities far beyond his years by Captain Picard had become a pain onTNG.Much of his accomplishments matte undeserved , and the storyline he was a part of were some of the least compelling .
He followed an extraterrestrial being called the Traveler , who promised to let out to him all of the secrets of the cosmos . Despite leaving the Enterprise and plant off withthe Traveller , he was seen again inStar Trek : Nemesisand had riposte Starfleet , will lover wonder why he ’d give up on his journeying .
Warp Speed Limits
Sometimes , introducing storytelling elements into a narrative does n’t pan off out onStar Trek . Its occasional nature and change writers almost ensure that not every plot gadget bring up will see a satisfying conclusion . But certain elements that are plan to be logical rules underlying to the serial ' existence seem like they should be hand more stern tending .
In the last season ofTNG , Starfleet command puts a cap on the hurrying at which starships can travel . Anything beyond Warp 5 seems to tear apart subspace , possibly leading to the collapse of the universe . This “ Warp Speed Emergency ” capital only seems to last a few unmatched times , but it was finally forgotten about and not used on any of the otherStar Trekseries of the time .
Q’s Relationship With Guinan
Q was an all - powerful , all-powerful cosmic being that toyed with the fate of his human friend Captain Picard on a whim , often using elaborate magic trick to impart some sort of life lesson to him and the crew of the Enterprise , much to their consternation . Able to chit-chat any time period and embark any dimension , there was piffling that could intimidate him .
Yet in “ Q Who , ” he break that he ’s afraid ofGuinan , the sapient barman on the initiative . She ’s an El - Aurian with certain ability herself , but nothing on par with Q. He implies they have operate into each other before , but nothing is bring out of their history , and nothing ever comes of it .