Lauritson was the head of the post-production department for television at Paramount Pictures in 1981 when Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was being produced by the television departments there. In 1986, he became involved in the development of Star Trek: The Next Generation where he became an associate producer. By the end of the seventh series, he had been promoted to a producer.[1] Whilst working on The Next Generation, he made his directorial debut with the episode "The Inner Light" and went on to also direct the first episode of the two-part "Gambit".[1] "The Inner Light" is regarded as one of the most acclaimed episodes of the series, and Lauritson accepted a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation in 1993,[2][3] which was the first of two Hugo Awards to be won by the series.[2] The episode was named the third best of the series by Entertainment Weekly in 2007.[4]