How ‘The Buried Age’ Origin Novel Bridges the Gap Between ‘Star Trek: TOS’ and ‘Next Generation’

Science fiction essayist Rowan J. Coleman examined the evolution of Star Trek: The Next Generation alongside the origin story in Christopher L. Bennett‘s novel The Buried Age.

How did Star Trek evolve from a gung-ho space western into a transcendental space opera? The answers lie in Christopher L. Bennett’s excellent novel, Star Trek: The Buried Age, which effectively serves as the origin story for The Next Generation.

Coleman further explains how Bennett’s novel bridges the tonal gap between the franchise’s past and future, detailing a transitional period that profoundly shaped Jean-Luc Picard‘s character and the structure of the Next Generation era.

ar Trek may be known for its utopian vision of the future, but The Original Series was far darker and more conflict-ridden than many fans might recall. his stands in stark contrast to the enlightened, humanist future depicted in The Next Generation.