Paramount wanted to launch a fourth network with the new Star Trek series Phase II as its flagship. When the network proved unworkable, Phase II appeared doomed--until Star Wars and Close Encounters Of The Third Kind proved box office hits. Phase II became the 1979 blockbuster Star Trek: The Motion Picture.

In 1987, Paramount decided Trek should return to its roots: television. ST: The Next Generation would become the first hour-long scripted show sold directly to the syndicated television market. Paramount's gamble paid off.