Captain Kirk retired from Starfleet in the year 2293. Jean-Luc Picard assumed command of the Enterprise-D in 2364. That’s a gap of 70+ years. Even in an era when lifespans have lengthened dramatically,[1] it’s a stretch to call Picard’s crew “The Next Generation.”[2]
Then again, “Star Trek: A Subsequent Generation” just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
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Memory Alpha suggests that the average human lifespan had lengthened to 120 years by the TNG era. A 137-year-old McCoy visits the Enterprise-D in the newer series’ pilot episode. ↩
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Technically, the “next generation” was already serving in Starfleet at the tail end of the Kirk era. ↩
Matt Hauger 