And How Do YOU Look 25 Years Later?

1987: Slim and Sleek (Sfgate photos)

2012: the spandex would be even more uncomfortable

Initially hesitant, I became a faithful viewer of Star Trek: the Next Generation through its seven seasons from 1987 to 1994.

To fans of the original "Star Trek Classic", it was disconcerting to encounter a universe where the Klingons were (surly) allies, and phasers were unholstered only as a last resort.

Captain Jean-Luc Picard, played by Patrick Stewart, was an educated Frenchman whose English accent suited Star Fleet's preference for diplomatic solutions. Unlike the previous century's James T. Kirk, Captain Picard largely left the romancing and fighting to an athletic cast of underlings.

25 years later, the actors have aged gracefully for the most part, but noticeably. High-resolution close-ups won't make for a boffo box office, so the Enterprise-D has given way to a re-imagining of the Classic series on film with a young, attractive crew. The Next Generation has become passé and old, the fate of everything that was once bright and shiny.