Star Trek: The Next Generation episode review: 'Unification - Part I'
1991 – the same year in which a U.S.-led coalition forced Saddam Hussein’s Iraq to retreat from Kuwait and the world witnessed the collapse and dissolution of the Soviet Union – was particularly noteworthy for Star Trek fans. In September, the franchise celebrated its Silver Anniversary; 25 years before (on Sept. 8, 1966), Star Trek: The Original Series had had its premiere on NBC and won over an initially modest but loyal fan base which embraced the spacefaring adventures of the Starship Enterprise and her crew. Though Star Trek was never a Nielsen ratings champ and lacked a great deal of support from either NBC or Paramount, it was kept on the air (barely) by the fans who wanted to see Capt. James T. Kirk (William Shatner), First Officer Spock (Leonard Nimoy) and Dr. McCoy carry out the Enterprise’s five-year mission “to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilizations. To boldly go where no man has gone before.” (Alas, the f