Rating: 
Summary: Not as good as the TV series itself!
Review: "Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion" was something of a disappointment to me.It's not that I didn't enjoy reading how certain special effects were done on a particular episode, or how casting for a particular part was done. This companion book contains many interesting behind-the-scenes facts and was, overall, very enjoyable to read. The disappointment I have with the book comes from the many errors I saw in the episode summaries. You would think that these summaries would be the easiest part of the book to write. Just watch the episode and then write the summary. It appears that whoever wrote these summaries did so from memory. Unfortunatley, that memory seems to be slipping. One example is the summary for the "Star Trek Nemesis" movie. The summary makes it seem like Captain Picard does not realize that it is Data who has freed him from the lab on Shinzon's ship until after they leave the lab (supposedly he thinks he is being taken by B-4 to Shizon). However, Picard realizes that it is Data while still in the lab when Data renders the guard in the lab unconscious. In addition to inaccurate summaries, there were also summaries that, while technically accurate, failed to completely describe the episode. In other words, they were too short. "Deja Q" is an example of this. There was quite a bit that happened in this episode, but the summary makes it appear that this was nothing more than a simple, basic show. Although there was a lot more that could have been done to make this companion book better, it is still one of the best one out there for the TNG series.
Rating:
Summary: Not as good as the TV series itself!
Review: "Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion" was something of a disappointment to me. It's not that I didn't enjoy reading how certain special effects were done on a particular episode, or how casting for a particular part was done. This companion book contains many interesting behind-the-scenes facts and was, overall, very enjoyable to read. The disappointment I have with the book comes from the many errors I saw in the episode summaries. You would think that these summaries would be the easiest part of the book to write. Just watch the episode and then write the summary. It appears that whoever wrote these summaries did so from memory. Unfortunatley, that memory seems to be slipping. One example is the summary for the "Star Trek Nemesis" movie. The summary makes it seem like Captain Picard does not realize that it is Data who has freed him from the lab on Shinzon's ship until after they leave the lab (supposedly he thinks he is being taken by B-4 to Shizon). However, Picard realizes that it is Data while still in the lab when Data renders the guard in the lab unconscious. In addition to inaccurate summaries, there were also summaries that, while technically accurate, failed to completely describe the episode. In other words, they were too short. "Deja Q" is an example of this. There was quite a bit that happened in this episode, but the summary makes it appear that this was nothing more than a simple, basic show. Although there was a lot more that could have been done to make this companion book better, it is still one of the best one out there for the TNG series.
Rating: 
Summary: Synopses a bit short, but some great prodution anecdotes!
Review: Although I was already a pretty well-established sci-fi nut, The Next Generation was the first show to capture my interest in Star Trek. I eventually started watching the show (as well as it's predecessor's shows & movies) as often as I could. I even began collecting the many trade paperbacks and other media discussing the production and technical side of the Trek mythos, including the ST:TNG Companion. Although I feel the episodes synopses are a bit too brief, it's the behind-the-scenes stories of each episode that grabs my interest the most. I've always had almost as much interest in what it takes to make and film my fave shows as I do watching them. The difficulties of certain shots, the various shoot locations, and the little variables that make producing a popular TV series that much more daunting. And with NextGen neing set in outer space, there's the added special visual effects to look after, as well as the actors in those makeup chairs getting made into Klingons, Ferengi, and various other alien species that require extensive appliances and makeup. My only problem is that the latest edition of the ST:TNG Companion only covers the show through the 'Generations' movie. After five years and two more films, I was hoping there'd at least be an updated edition out by now... no such luck. Looks like I'll be waiting until 'Star Trek X' hits the multiplex... 'Late
Rating:
Summary: An indispensable guidebook for the television series.
Review: Any Next Gen fan would be remiss not to own a copy of this exhaustive and loving tribute. Nemecek combines concise episode synops and production details with ample helpings of related trivia and behind-the-scenes anecdotes. In short, it's a treat.This book (especially its second edition, which covers the complete seven-season run of Next Gen) is regrettably understocked at most bookstores, and hence, I suspect, woefully overlooked. Ask your store to order you a copy, or better yet, hit up amazon.com to the task. It's well worth the effort (and the wait).
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: I agree with one of the other reviewers. The Next Gen. Companion pales in comparison to the DS9 Companion. The photos in the Next/Gen companion are poorly printed. The episode summaries are minimalistic. Overall it seems the Next/Gen Compannion was rushed. I guess its good if you need to look up a quick/basic fact about an episode, but it doesn't have the WOW factor that the DS9 Companion has
Rating: 
Summary: New January 2003 Revised Edition
Review: Just a quick note on this new January 2003 revised edition. This new revision now contains references to all four TNG movies including Trek X: Nemesis! And as most Trek fans may know, this seems to be the last TNG movie, so this new revised edition should be the last one you'll ever need.
Rating:
Summary: New January 2003 Revised Edition
Review: Just a quick note on this new January 2003 revised edition. This new revision now contains references to all four TNG movies including Trek X: Nemesis! And as most Trek fans may know, this seems to be the last TNG movie, so this new revised edition should be the last one you'll ever need.
Rating:
Summary: Mildly Disappointing
Review: My advice: Don't read the DS9 Companion before reading this one. Why? Because you'll agree with my review title.
The DS9 Companion weighs in at a hefty 800 pages, while this REVISED TNG Companion is a mere 384 pages, and that includes about 10 hours more source material than the DS9 one (the four movies and 2 episodes). The missing 416 pages comes from a smaller, compressed font used in certain areas (cast lists, episode notes, and movie summaries), but most of it is due to shorter summaries and notes than used in the DS9 one. I noticed many factoids and behind the scenes anecdotes that could have been included but weren't. The biggest disappointment, I think, came from the Nemesis section which didn't answer certain things (i.e., what were their plans for Seven, and who is this Cmdr. Martin Madden listed in the credits).
That having been said, I have been and always shall be a TNG fan, since I practically grew up on it, so this book provided an interesting perspective on the series. My only real problem with it lies in the fact that sometimes it seems that a little more work could have been put into it (i.e., typos in normal words and in proper nouns, a few mixed-up facts).
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre reference book for a great series
Review: ST:TNG was a great series, and frankly it deserves a better companion than this one. While there are many interesting production tidbits and (often mundane) cross-references included, the summaries of the individual episodes are way too short, and annoying errors still remain (e.g., some 'Force of Nature' end notes appear in the 'Inheritance' section). My impression is that the author simply dumped a bunch of info together to create this book without putting in the extra effort to make it special. If you'd like to see what a top-notch companion book should look like, check out the magnificent ST: DS9 publication (to be fair, that author was on board from day one, while Nemecek had to come into the fray at a later date). Don't get me wrong - I'm glad that I own this book, and do recommend it to fans of the series. Still, when looking at things objectively (i.e., take off those rose colored Star Trek glasses), this is a mediocre book, and it is far from being the definitive work that it sets out to be.
Rating:
Summary: Mediocre reference book for a great series
Review: ST:TNG was a great series, and frankly it deserves a better companion than this one. While there are many interesting production tidbits and (often mundane) cross-references included, the summaries of the individual episodes are way too short, and annoying errors still remain (e.g., some 'Force of Nature' end notes appear in the 'Inheritance' section). My impression is that the author simply dumped a bunch of info together to create this book without putting in the extra effort to make it special. If you'd like to see what a top-notch companion book should look like, check out the magnificent ST: DS9 publication (to be fair, that author was on board from day one, while Nemecek had to come into the fray at a later date). Don't get me wrong - I'm glad that I own this book, and do recommend it to fans of the series. Still, when looking at things objectively (i.e., take off those rose colored Star Trek glasses), this is a mediocre book, and it is far from being the definitive work that it sets out to be.
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