Admiral Shelby’s Elizabeth Dennehy reflects on the very different experiences she had filming Star Trek: The Next Generation vs. Star Trek: Picard.

Elizabeth Dennehy reflects on the stark differences between filming Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Picard season 3. Dennehy appeared as Lt. Commander Elizabeth Shelby in TNG’s “Best of Both Worlds” two-parter, which is often regarded as one of the show’s best stories. As a determined up-and-coming expert on the Borg, Shelby arrived on the USS Enterprise-D to help investigate a potential Borg attack. Shelby was present for the assimilation of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and there was speculation that she could become the new First Officer of the Enterprise if Picard didn’t return.

Although Commander Shelby did not stay aboard the Enterprise-D, she did eventually make it to the bridge of the USS Enterprise-F. In Star Trek: Picard season 3, Fleet Admiral Shelby led the opening ceremony of the Frontier Day celebrations from the bridge of the Enterprise-F. Admiral Picard tried to warn Shelby about the impending Borg/Changeling attack, but his warning came too late, and Shelby was killed by assimilated members of her crew. In an interview with Warp Factor Trek, Elizabeth Dennehy spoke about filming Picard and how it differed from her time on TNG. Read her quote below:

Could not have been more different! Totally different world! Oh my God, the money that has gone into Picard! But the thing that was the most overwhelming was the unbelievable technology. In thirty years, it was completely different. The set was dazzling! My costume was unbelievable! I had all these fittings, tailor-made suit. Gorgeous, beautiful. So flattering, so comfortable. No more the spandex jumpsuit that felt like you were wearing a giant wedgie. Those days are over. So, could not have been more different — night and day.

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Star Trek: TNG Often Had To Do More With Less

The filming process of TNG was very different from Star Trek: Picard.

Star Trek: The Next Generation got off to a rocky start with an inconsistent first season plagued by chaos behind the scenes. Writers came and went regularly throughout the early days of TNG, and the show took a couple of seasons before it truly found its footing. The television landscape was very different in the 1980s and 1990s, and the way shows were filmed differed, too. For one thing, TNG typically had 26 episodes per season, far more than most modern Trek shows. The TNG cast members dealt with long shooting days and uncomfortable costumes, but they still managed to have fun, garnering a reputation for joking around on set.

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On average, the budget for each episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation was around $1.3 million. This was considered a high budget at the time and many episodes of TNG required extensive effects and intricate sets. TNG season 2 was impacted by the Writers Strike of 1988, but they also faced budget problems. By the end of TNG season 2, the production team had blown their budget on episodes like “Elementary, Dear Data” and “Q Who,” which led to the infamous, but budget-friendly, clip show, “Shades of Gray.” Plus, as with Star Trek: The Original Series, they were limited by the technology of the time, which sometimes made it difficult to depict the technology of the far future. With its modern effects and higher budget, Star Trek: Picard beautifully brought the crew of the USS Enterprise-D into the modern day.