Mr Worf, Fire

The 25th anniversary of the Star Trek TNG's landmark two-parter was last weekend. The episode, 'Best of Both Worlds' is why I am a writer today.

Now, I didn't see part one when it first aired in 1990, I saw it that September in the lead up to the new season. One evening I was flipping and just happened to see a bunch of people standing around a crater, this was the intro to part one of the episode.

The writers built anticipation, threw in plot twists, and then the massive cliffhanger to part II. What happened next was an all out space battle, probably the first seen on TV since Battlestar Galactica. One saw the Enterprise engaging a Borg cube in open combat, shuttles making attack runs on same, and a Federation boarding party to steal back the previously captured and assimilated Picard.

I was enthralled and captivated. Right after seeing 'Best of Both Worlds' I began writing a novel about aliens attacking earth a few centuries form now.

I've been writing ever since.