Former Star Trek Boss Thinks The Next Generation Was Canceled At Least 3 Seasons Too Soon

"Star Trek: The Next Generation" made it all the way to Season 7, but according to writer and producer Brannon Braga, the series should've made it until at least Season 10. "In my mind, 'TNG' never ended," Braga told The 7th Rule in an August 2026 interview. "It was taken off the air at the height of its popularity. It had another three years, easy." 

When asked why the show was canceled at Season 7 — despite the fact cast members signed a contract for eight seasons — Braga explained that it all came down to a business decision by Paramount: "It seemed the thinking was, after seven years, you've accumulated enough episodes to have an incredible syndicated life. And things start to get more expensive by that point," Braga explained. Paramount already had a fortune on its hands, regardless of whether they paid for another season.

Another factor was that Paramount wanted to make movies starring the cast, and they believed the films would be less successful at the box office if the show was still airing new episodes. The series' stars didn't find that answer particularly sympathetic. "I don't know why the movie had to be made this year," complained Jonathan Frakes to Entertainment Weekly in '94. "Some of us kept hoping there would be an eleventh-hour reprieve, that Paramount would realize how much money the show has made for them and change their minds."

Paramount's callous treatment of "The Next Generation," which always ranks high among the best "Star Trek" shows, was particularly frustrating given the company had often claimed to be the franchise's biggest champion. As head of Paramount's TV division, Mel Harris explained to the New York Times why he passed on various offers from other networks to make the new show, "In the end, we realized that nobody else was going to care as much about 'Star Trek' as we did.'"

Frustration with studio executives has been a common feeling among "Star Trek" fans. NBC first canceled "Star Trek" in 1969 after just three seasons, not long after they moved it to the undesirable Friday night time slot, which predictably led to lower ratings. The franchise nearly had its first revival series in the '70s, "Star Trek: Phase II," but the show was canned before it could make it to air. The franchise's most successful series were limited to seven seasons max, and the early 2000s spin-off "Star Trek: Enterprise" was canceled after only four seasons. There were a lot of reasons why "Enterprise" was canceled, but Braga gave The 7th Rule his take on its premature ending. "[Enterprise] was planned to go seven seasons, but we just had new people in charge who didn't know what they had."