 The captain of the USS Saratoga, seen at the start of the film, was  the first female captain ever seen in a Star Trek story. The success  of this film led to offers by several US TV networks to produce a  new Trek TV series with the original cast. Instead, Paramount gave  the green light to produce the syndicated  _"Star Trek: The Next Generation" (1987)_ (qv) starring an all new  cast.