See Every Star Trek: The Next Generation Episode In Wacky Compilation Video
A YouTuber put together a hilarious 9-minute video including clips from every single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
When it first came out, Star Trek: The Next Generation was a very rocky followup to the original spacefaring series. Eventually, though, it became an amazing show that gained different “generations” of fans, many of whom love to binge the show like it was comfort food straight from the replicator. Now, though, a strange new YouTube video lets you binge the entire series in a little over nine minutes by only showing three seconds from each episode.
The video compilation was created by user SentinelOfSomething, and he took on the ambitious task of compiling short clips from all 178 episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation into a single video. In the description of the video, he discusses how some of the clips were a bit longer or shorter because he had to accommodate certain character lines. However, the estimate of three seconds per episode is “close enough” for him as a content creator.
Speaking of content, this viral video quickly became the biggest hit that SentinelOfSomething has created. As of writing, the user has 677 subscribers, and most videos have under 1,000 views. But the Star Trek: The Next Generation compilation video has had over 197,000 views, and it doesn’t look like it is slowing down anytime soon.
Part of what has made this video into a viral hit is that it perfectly condenses our culture of binge-watching “comfort food television.” Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of those shows like The Office where many fans just keep rewatching from beginning to end. It would normally take over 130 hours to rewatch all of this beloved Trek series, but this video helps to give you a taste of each episode in just over nine minutes.
It should probably be noted that this video will make no sense to anyone who is not already a fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The juxtaposition of certain clips is enough to make fans laugh, but watching a random three seconds from assorted episodes is possibly the worst way to experience the series for the first time. For longtime fans, though, the video provides a fun opportunity to revisit some of the best episodes and even some of the worst (we’re looking at you, “Code of Honor”).
The release of the video is also quite timely given that Star Trek is really dominating the geeky zeitgeist. Once upon a time, Star Trek: The Next Generation was the only non-film follow-up we had to Star Trek: The Original Series. Now, Paramount+ is teeming with a bevy of new Trek series, including Picard, a show that (despite its many flaws) is finally providing closure for fans regarding some of their favorite characters.
Whether you’ve kept your “faith of the heart” for Trek for all these years or just watched TNG back in college, this video is sure to put a smile on your face. Just be warned: watching a few seconds of each Star Trek: The Next Generation episode is a bit like saying you’re only going to eat a couple of potato chips. Once you experience the taste, it won’t be long before you want to dive back into the whole thing.
