Gene Roddenberry created "Star Trek: The Original Series" back in the '60s, and a phenomenon was born. However, while the franchise is culturally embedded these days and impossible to avoid, it's easy to forget that it wasn't always inevitable that it would go beyond "The Original Series" and the accompanying movies.

Enter "Star Trek: The Next Generation." This bold new show appeared in the '80s and followed the adventures of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (as played by Patrick Stewart, a true Shakespearean who could lend gravitas to a boiled egg) and the crew of the Galaxy-class Enterprise D. 

The show was culturally progressive and diverse, with women in many major roles and a willingness to explore new perspectives. Like "The Original Series," it didn't draw its plots from petty squabbles among the crew, but from external sources and a bolder vision of what humankind was capable of. 

Humanity is literally put on trial in the show, and the better angels of our nature are the true heroes. Roddenberry's optimism shined through, even after he stopped working regularly on the show. "The Next Generation" is rightly regarded as, in some ways, the pinnacle of everything "Star Trek" is about, and it lives in the pantheon of great American sci-fi as a result. So let's find out where you belong among this inspiring crew!