This episode (Season 6 premiere) started with a title card "In Memory of Brandon Tartikoff". Brandon Tartikoff, who passed away in August 1997, was the chairman of Paramount Pictures from 1991 - 1992. While his tenure was relatively short, he was involved in making several key decisions related to the Star Trek franchise which contributed to its longevity/popularity.
He ordered the creation of a third live action Star Trek series, which ended up being Deep Space Nine.
After the release of "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country", he also requested the continuation of Star Trek movies, which led to the 4 TNG movies.