Did the cast make more money...

Well the series was a regular wage/income, obviously going up substantially each negotiation (according to IMDB bio for Patrick Stewart he was getting 100k per ep presumably toward the end). also whatever repeat fees. I remember frakes saying he was upset the series was ending and wished it could go on and on 10 years and beyond (Stewart was the opposite saying there came a point where he feared it would never end, and there were rumours hed leave almost each season)

The movies were one off fee, and whatever residuals for TV showings, DVD sales etc. the one who really benefited from the movies was Patrick Stewart as his fee went up in the millions per movie. I think I remember reading he got something like 500k-1m for Generations (Shatner got 5m), then you can see on his IMDB bio he got $5m for FC, 9.5m Insurrection, then by Nemesis $14m. of course the movies helped get him the lead role in XMen. And obviously Frakes became a movie director due to the Trek films earning extra millions for that (FC fee 5m according to imdb bio)and was even being lined up for Total Recall 2, and a Superman reboot in the late 90s/early 00s but both never happened (then Thunderbirds ended his movie directing career) and Brent Spiner obviously got a few million per movie too (imdb bio lists 5m for Insurrection) as well as increased exposure to get roles in other movies like ID4. i guess the rest wouldve been lucky to bag a million per movie after Generations (none of them willve been paid much in movie terms for that 1st film ..just Shatner)

I heard that one reason the show was moved from TV to films was that the cast was being paid so much for the TV show, the implication was that the cast would be paid less for the movies. Or at least, the cast other than Stewart.

TNG was almost getting canceled every year it was on TV. The whole thing was an experiment. Start to finish even after it proved popular. I'm sure the cast had high expectations but it wasn't the 50s and 60s anymore. Scifi was a hard sell back then. As was proven as properties started making transitions from network tv to cable tv, and mergers and the like, and ultimately mass cancellations. The only reason to make more tv instead of movies is the residual payments from syndication. Was the cast that savvy back then? Maybe. TNG had well jumped the shark before its last season. They're lucky they got the movies they did.