The Neutral Zone

This Story: Season 1 Episode 26 (production code 126)
TNG Overall: Episode 26
Trek Overall: Story 126, Episode 128
Airdate: 16 May 1988
Story by Deborah McIntyre & Mona Clee
Teleplay by Maurice Hurley
Directed by James L. Conway

Notes

• Denise Crosby is still credited in the opening titles, despite having left the show’s cast at this point.
• The last episode for a year with Gates McFadden as Beverly Crusher.  She returns in Season 3.
• The year is given (by Data) for this episode as 2364.  It’s the first time a direct year has been stated on screen for a Star Trek episode in this fashion.
• The Romulan Tebok is played by Marc Alaimo, who would later go on to be “Gul Dukat” on Deep Space Nine.
• Another episode affected by the writer’s strike. IT was planned to be a two parter where the Federation and the Romulans joined forces to fight the Borg.  As such, the Borg were removed from the script and their introduction was postponed into Season 2.
• Reintroduces the Romulans into Star Trek  with a redesign similar to what the Klingons got in the first theatrical movie.  Also the first appearance of the new Romulan warbird, designed by Andrew Probert, his final design for Star Trek (after having designed most ships between the first movie and this point).
• When Troi is showing one of the survivors info about her descendants, the names on the screen were there first six lead actors in Doctor Who (Hartnell, Troughton, Pertwee, T Baker, Davison, C Baker).  In the remastered Blu-Ray version, these names were changed to names of production staff of TNG, presumably for copyright reasons.
• There is a Constitution class model in the background of one scene, but its warp nacelles are on backwards.
• Barring flashbacks/clips, this is the last time Riker is unshaven util the movie “Star Trek: Insurrection”.
• While it’s not explicitly stated on screen, it appears that Worf has been promoted to security chief based on actions.

Links