Picard's Enterprise Tried To Save Chief O'Brien After Star Trek: TNG's Finale

Summary Picard and the USS Enterprise-D tried to save Chief O'Brien after TNG's finale in a bold mission against the Cardassians.

DS9 provided updates on Enterprise crew post-TNG finale, impacting Dominion War effort and Worf's new home.

USS Enterprise-D underwent upgrades between TNG finale and Star Trek Generations, leading to a crash on Veridian III.

Just a short time after the events of the Star Trek: The Next Generation season finale, Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the USS Enterprise-D embarked on a mission to save Chief Miles O'Brien (Colm Meaney). The TNG finale aired on 23rd May 1994, wrapping up the TV adventures for the crew of the USS Enterprise-D until Patrick Stewart returned for Star Trek: Picard in 2020. In November, the TNG crew would relaunch the Star Trek movies as William Shatner literally handed the franchise over to Patrick Stewart in Star Trek Generations.

However, fans didn't have to wait until November to find out what happened next to the Star Trek: The Next Generation characters, as an Easter egg in an episode of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine updated viewers on the whereabouts of the USS Enterprise-D. DS9 would occasionally provide updates on the movie exploits of the Enterprise crew, with the events of Star Trek: First Contact heavily impacting the Dominion War effort, and Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn) finding a new home on DS9 after the destruction of the Enterprise-D. DS9's first such Enterprise update occurred just two weeks after the TNG finale in 1994.

Related Picard Playing Poker In TNG's Finale - What It Really Means TNG’s finale “All Good Things” saw Captain Picard finally join his senior staff for a hand of poker, a gesture that meant more than it might seem.

Star Trek: DS9 Revealed USS Enterprise-D Tried To Save O'Brien After TNG's Finale

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In Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 25, "Tribunal", Chief O'Brien is arrested by the Cardassians and put on trial for supplying weapons to the Maquis. Outraged at the Cardassians arresting a Federation citizen without prior extradition negotiations, Starfleet decided to put pressure on the Cardassian Union. Picard's Enterprise was part of a small group of starships sent to the Federation-Cardassian border to demonstrate force and pressure the government into releasing O'Brien from prison. As O'Brien was Chief Petty Officer aboard the Enterprise, Picard and the crew had a personal stake in their assignment.

Due to Miles O'Brien being a background character in early episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, he had various ranks, including Ensign and Lieutenant. He was finally confirmed to be a Chief Petty Officer in TNG season 4, episode 2, "Family".

Unfortunately, the presence of the USS Enterprise-D, USS Prokofiev, and the USS Valdemar wasn't enough to dissuade the Cardassian Union from their plan to execute Chief O'Brien and discredit the Federation. It was therefore up to the combined efforts of a mysterious Maquis informer and the crew of Deep Space Nine to expose the Cardassians' elaborate deception. Unmasking O'Brien's former colleague Raymond Boone (John Beck) as a Cardassian impersonator, Commander Benjamin Sisko (Avery Brooks) brought "Boone" to the tribunal, which swiftly brought the sham trial to a close.

What Happened To USS Enterprise-D Between TNG And Star Trek Generations?

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The gap between the broadcast of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2, episode 25, "Tribunal" and the theatrical release of Star Trek Generations is reflected in the time that passes in-universe. When audiences next see the crew of the USS Enterprise-D, they're celebrating Worf's promotion to Lieutenant Commander in an elaborate holodeck hazing ritual. Beyond their attempts to pressure the Cardassian government to release Chief O'Brien, not much is known about what the Enterprise-D crew were up to between "All Good Things" and Star Trek Generations.

The Star Trek Generations version of the starship Enterprise has had several upgrades since the events of "All Good Things", suggesting a refit took place some time after the O'Brien situation. A refit would allow time for some much-needed downtime for the crew after the Star Trek: The Next Generation finale. Among the upgrades seen in Generations are additional science stations on the bridge, a chair for Worf at the tactical station, and new lighting was also fitted. It's just a shame that the upgrades to the Enterprise were so short-lived, as the ship crashed on Veridian III a few short months later.

Star Trek Generations is currently streaming on Max.