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TNN TO TELECAST "THE
BIG BANG"-A WEEKLONG LAUNCH OF "STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION"Pasadena, CA - July 12, 2001 -- TNN: THE NATIONAL NETWORK is destined to become the Home of Star Trek, the most popular franchise in television, now that it has the rights to three Star Trek series and five Star Trek movies for the next 10 years. TNN will premiere the first of its series, STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, in a weeklong marathon titled TNN'S THE BIG BANG-STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, Monday, October 1 through Friday, October 5.
TNN'S THE BIG BANG will begin
Monday, Oct. 1 at 7:00 PM, ET/PT with an original pop documentary, AMERICA'S
LOVE AFFAIR WITH…STAR TREK, which marks the 35th anniversary of one
of television's most enduring programs. The one-hour special, the first in a
series of TNN specials exploring pop culture phenomena, is produced by
Kralyevich Productions (KPI), whose credits include A&E's
"Biography" and Bravo's "Profiles." Throughout the five
days, 77 of the most popular episodes from the seven seasons of STAR TREK: THE
NEXT GENERATION will be telecast.
"TNN is building itself as the Home of STAR TREK," says Diane
Robina, Executive Vice President and General Manager, TNN. "STAR TREK is
the most popular franchise in television because of its great characters,
wonderful stories of the triumph of the human spirit and a fantastic cast. These
are the reasons STAR TREK has such a strong fan base - a fan base that will
appreciate the Home that TNN is creating for these precedent-setting
series."
STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION is set in the 24th century, when the Starship Enterprise is commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and his crew including Commander William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), Lieutenant Geordi LaForge (LeVar Burton) and Starfleet Counselor Deanna Troi (Marina Sirtis). Also on board are: Lt. Commander Worf (Michael Dorn), Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) and her son Ensign Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton). STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, which first premiered in syndication in September 1987, won 16 Emmys during its seven seasons.
In total, the marathon will feature 77 of the most popular episodes of NEXT
GENERATION, as chosen by fans via an informal search of the Internet. Monday
will open with the best episodes of STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION from season
one, including the two-part premiere, titled "Encounter at Fairpoint";
Tuesday will feature the most popular episodes from 
seasons
two and three; Wednesday, season four and five episodes; Thursday, season six,
and Friday, fans' favorite episodes from the seventh and final season of STAR
TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, including the season finale, "All Good
Things."
Leading up to THE BIG BANG -- STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, TNN will telecast the three popular Star Trek movies (Monday, Oct 1, 9:00AM-7:00PM, ET/PT). The movies include STAR TREK II: THE WRATH OF KAHN (1982), STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK (1984), and STAR TREK V: THE FINAL FRONTIER (1989).
The only non-STAR TREK programming on the schedule that week will be WWF RAW IS WAR, which will include some STAR TREK bits. Following the weeklong BIG BANG, STAR TREK will be regularly telecast Mondays-thru-Fridays at 8:00 PM, ET/PT and on Mondays-thru-Thursdays at 11:00 PM, ET/PT).
TNN will telecast STAR TREK: DEEP
SPACE NINE, beginning in Fall, 2004 and STAR TREK: VOYAGER, which concluded its
run on UPN this year, will premiere on TNN beginning late 2006.
TNN: THE NATIONAL NETWORK has been setting ratings records each month since MTV Networks acquired it in September 2000 and turned it into America's first pop network. Distributed in more than 81 million U.S. homes, TNN has grown into a top-ten network among viewing households and Adults 18-49. TNN connects its viewers with the tops in pop culture, including WWF RAW IS WAR, cable's top-rated series, and top-flight Hollywood movies. Later this year, the network is set to become the new home of STAR TREK, the most popular franchise in television history, and BAYWATCH, the most popular TV series in the world. "Pop" movies include THE GODFATHER and more. And the network is readying a slate of original series featuring "real people, real stories." TNN is also developing a special connection with its viewers through its toll-free number, 1-888-POP-1090, which receives more than 100,000 calls each month. TNN viewers share their views on television, what's on movie screens, what's going on in their hometowns, what's on their minds - and their voices and faces serve as the network's on-air voice, creating a unique community among TNN viewers
All Star Trek pictures (from Star Trek the Next Generation and Star Trek Deep Space Nine) are (C) Paramount Pictures