Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek Generations made the same mistake with James T. Kirk (William Shatner) and Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy). Following the adventures of the Starship Enterprise and its crew, Star Trek: The Original Series made Kirk and Spock household names. After Kirk, Spock, and Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), the USS Enterprise itself may be the most beloved Star Trek character, and the starship has certainly left its mark on popular culture.
In 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation introduced the world to Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise-D. During the early days of TNG, Gene Roddenberry wanted the show to stand apart from Star Trek: The Original Series, so he forbade the writers from directly mentioning Kirk, Spock, or any other members of the Enterprise crew. These Roddenberry-enforced rules became more relaxed over time, and Picard eventually met both Spock and Kirk, but neither of them set foot on the Enterprise-D.
Star Trek: The Next Generation Made The Same Mistake Of Kirk & Spock Never Seeing Picard’s USS Enterprise-D
TNG Never Brought Kirk Or Spock Aboard The USS Enterprise-D
Spock's father, Ambassador Sarek (Mark Lenard), was the first Star Trek: The Original Series character to have a major storyline in Star Trek: The Next Generation, but it wasn't long before Spock himself made an appearance. In the TNG season 5 two-parter, "Unification," Starfleet tasks Captain Picard with tracking down Spock, who was last spotted on Romulus. Picard and his crew do eventually find Spock, but the Vulcan ambassador never visits the Enterprise-D.
Why Star Trek: The Next Generation Never Brought Kirk & Spock Onto Picard’s Enterprise
Neither TNG's "Unification" Nor Star Trek Generations Gave Spock Or Kirk Time To Visit Picard's Enterprise
In "Unification," Captain Picard and Lt. Commander Data (Brent Spiner) take a Klingon ship to Romulus so that they can approach the planet while cloaked. Picard and Data then encounter Spock within the caves beneath Romulus, working to reunite the Vulcans and Romulans. While Picard, Data, and Spock were dealing with Sela (Denise Crosby) and her plot to conquer Vulcan, the Enterprise-D was occupied with its own investigation of stolen Vulcan ships. By the end of "Unification: Part II," Spock was ready to get back to his mission of reunification and did not make time to visit Picard's ship.
Other Star Trek: The Original Series Characters Came Aboard Picard’s Enterprise
Dr. McCoy, Chief Engineer Scotty, & Ambassador Sarek All Visited Picard's Enterprise-D
Although neither Kirk nor Spock got to visit the Enterprise-D, several other Star Trek: The Original Series characters paid a visit. In Star Trek: The Next Generation's premiere, "Encounter at Farpoint," Data gives Admiral McCoy a tour of the Enterprise-D before flying him in a shuttlecraft to the USS Hood. Although Dr. McCoy is not identified by name, he is his usual irascible self, comparing Data to a Vulcan and telling the android to "treat [the Enterprise] like a lady, and she'll always bring you home."
Despite Gene Roddenberry's insistence that TNG forge its own path, the McCoy cameo in the series premiere was reportedly his idea. Although it's a brief scene that has nothing to do with the rest of the episode, McCoy's appearance serves as a nice callback to TOS.
The next TOS character to make an appearance is James Doohan's Captain Montgomery Scott, who visits the Enterprise-D in the season 6 episode "Relics" after being rescued from the transporter buffer of the USS Jenolan. As the Chief Engineer, Scotty had a particular fondness for Kirk's Enterprise, and while he appreciates the beauty of the Enterprise-D, he cannot help but feel out of place on such an advanced ship. When Scotty departs on a shuttlecraft, he remarks that Picard's Enterprise is "a credit to her name," which is high praise coming from him.
