Pen Pals (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Pen Pals (Star Trek: The Next Generation) "Pen Pals" is the 15th episode of the of the American science fiction television series "", the 41st episode overall, first broadcast on May 1, 1989. The series follows the adventures of the crew of the Federation starship "Enterprise" commanded by Captain Jean-Luc Picard. In this episode, Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher learns to manage a science team, and in the primary plot, focusing on Starfleet's Prime Directive, Data helps a young girl on a troubled planet. As the "Enterprise" surveys an area of unexplored planets with unusually short life spans due to severe
Star Trek: The Next Generation the Peabody Award for excellence in television programming. In 1997, the episode "" was ranked No. 70 on "TV Guide"s 100 Greatest Episodes of All Time. In 2002, "Star Trek: The Next Generation" was ranked #46 on "TV Guide"s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time list, and in 2008, was ranked No. 37 on "Empire"s list of the 50 greatest television shows. On October 7, 2006, one of the three original filming models of the USS "Enterprise"-D used on the show sold at a Christie's auction for US$576,000, making it the highest-selling item at the event. The buyer of