WATCH: What if there had been a Star Trek: The Next Generation: The Animated Series?

Riker, Picard and Worf ponder the Borg in Gazelle Automations’ adaptation of Star Trek: The Next Generation

APRIL 14, 2022 - Animation has come a long way in the last 50 years. Just take a look at Star Trek: Prodigy and the original Star Trek: The Animated Series. Side by side, it’s plain to see the two series don’t have much in common, other than both being Star Trek. Produced by Filmation Associates, The Animated Series relied on just a handful of sound effects and around six minutes of music repeated again and again throughout the entire series to move the story along. A new YouTube video from Gazelle Automations raises the question: “What if Filmation had made episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation?” Now, we have an answer.

Gazelle Automation has recreated a scene from the TNG third season finale “The Best of Both Worlds, Part 1” in the style of The Animated Series. Using TAS sound effects and music, Gazelle Automations brings the very heart and soul of The Animated Series to a pivotal moment in the Next Gen storyline. In the scene, the Enterprise-D is fired upon and boarded by the Borg, and Captain Picard is taken captive - soon to become Locutus of Borg.

This brief look at an animated TNG is a faithful homage to its predecessor. At the helm, Wesley Crusher has been replaced by a Kzinti, a pretty clear reference to Walter Koenig’s Chekov being replaced by Lt. Arex on TAS. Sure, the animation seems a bit choppy. And the music is repetitive. And they reused a few cells to save time and money. But those are all things we love about Star Trek: The Animated Series. Without a doubt, this video is sure to bring a smile to the face of every fan of Star Trek. Check out the scene below!