Evolution (Star Trek: The Next Generation) Evolution (Star Trek: The Next Generation) "Evolution" is the first episode of the of the syndicated American science fiction television series "", the 49th episode overall, first airing on September 25, 1989. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the crew of the Federation starship "Enterprise". In this episode, escaped nanites threaten the "Enterprise" as well as its critical research mission. The Federation starship "Enterprise", under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), approaches the binary star system to perform astrophysics research under the guidance of Dr. Paul Stubbs (Ken Jenkins), analyzing the decay of
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