Simon Thompson looks back at the best episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation…
Anybody who knows me personally for any length of time knows that I’m a huge fan of Star Trek: The Next Generation, given that I never shut up about movies, TV shows, games, and books that I love in general. The Next Generation, to me, is one of the finest pieces of science fiction media ever created because it manages to be thought provoking, heartfelt, and action packed all at the same time. As a result of these qualities, what made the show great is the sheer variety of stories that it told, unlike Kurtzman Trek which is basically just grim unrelenting violence, and adults acting like moronic children.
Whittling down my (keyword being my, please don’t send me angry comments if an episode you love isn’t on this list) favourite episodes to just ten, is going to be a difficult task but here is my best attempt. Also some minor spoiler alerts here and there for a TV show that ended in 1994…
10. Darmok (Season 5)
Communication is something which helps connect all sentient forms of life, and is essential to the physical and mental survival of every species. ‘Darmok’ is a great episode, because it puts Picard and the crew in a situation where their greatest asset is actively hindered and they have to try and establish a new method of communication.
The Enterprise, is hailed by a Tamarian ship, a race of aliens who speak in a complex series of allegories and metaphors relating to an ancient Tamarian myth. Because of this their language is undetectable to Starfleet’s universal translators which can decipher practically every alien dialect. Picard is abducted by the Tamarian captain Dathon (played by guest star Paul Winfield) and is forced into a survival situation on a dangerous planet in which his skills as a diplomat once again prove to be the key to his survival.
What makes ‘Darmok’ such a brilliant episode is that it’s practically a two hander between Patrick Stewart and Paul Winfield. The bond that Picard and Dathon form throughout the episode is a pleasure to watch, as two people from vastly different civilisations and cultures come together to solve a shared problem. The scene where Picard recounts The Epic Of Gilgamesh to Dathon never fails to bring a tear to my eye, and is a brilliant five minute encapsulation of the humanistic side of TNG at its best.
9. Yesterday’s Enterprise (Season 3)
TNG is a show which does ethical dilemma orientated plots extremely well, with one of the best examples being ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’. A temporal rift in the space-time continuum allows for the passage of a destroyed federation ship from two decades before named the USS Enterprise C, into the current timeline. Through the presence of the Enterprise C, a paradox is created within the Enterprise D’s timeline, where the federation is in a perpetual war with the Klingon Empire.
Picard and the crew are then forced into an ethical dilemma of either letting the Enterprise C stay in their time and escape their fatal destruction, even though it would mean far reaching permanent consequences to time and space, or to send them back into the temporal rift to their certain deaths.
This episode works because of two key components,. The first is that watching the crew slowly realise something is very wrong in their timeline allows for some strong character moments, and the second is that it reinterprets the season one death of crew member Tasha Yar, which, before this episode, was a massively underwhelming moment, now retconned into giving her a heroic sacrifice. The show’s delicate balance between conceptual science fiction and human drama are on full display with ‘Yesterday’s Enterprise’, culminating in one of the saddest closing ten minutes of any TV episode I have ever come across.
8. Sins of the Father (Season 3)
I was debating whether to put this episode or ‘Cause and Effect’ in this spot, but I ultimately picked ‘Sins of the Father’ simply because as great an episode as ‘Cause and Effect’ is, it gets plenty of inclusions on lists like this to the detriment of relatively hidden gems such as this one. Worf is one of my favourite characters in the whole of Star Trek, and although I think he is better used in Deep Space Nine, he does have a fair share of good character-centric episodes in TNG, with ‘Sins of the Father’ being the best of them.
The episode starts with a Klingon officer named Kurn (played to perfection by guest star Tony Todd) coming aboard the Enterprise as part of an exchange programme between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. Kurn’s abrasive personality and harsh style of command immediately puts him at odds with the Enterprise’s crew, putting Picard’s diplomacy skills to the test.
Eventually it is revealed that Kurn is none other than Worf’s brother, and that he’s on the Enterprise to tell Worf that their dead father is being posthumously tried as a traitor to the Klingon Empire by the High Council and that Worf must come with him to Qo’noS immediately to clear their family name.
The central conflict in Worf’s life between his Klingon roots and traditions, and his childhood adoption by a federation officer, brought up with human customs and values in the process, is precisely what makes him such an interesting character. These traits are what make ‘Sins of the Father’ as compelling an episode as it is, as we see Worf put in a situation which forces him to face the two contrasting sides of his personality.
Overall this episode gives you both a rich emotional narrative, but also provides a fascinating insight into Klingon traditions and customs that make them one of the most recognisable and popular alien races in the Star Trek universe – a proper two for the price of one deal.
7. Chain of Command Part I-II (Season 6)
‘Chain of Command’ is TNG’s darkest hour by a country mile. Airing one week before Deep Space Nine was due to start, this episode shows off the evil that Cardassians, Deep Space Nine’s central villains (a scheming alien race that had been introduced in a season 4 episode of TNG, ‘The Wounded’, which was a serious candidate for this list), are truly capable of. Part I starts in the most dramatic fashion possible as Picard’s command of the Enterprise is relinquished by Captain Jehlico (played by guest star Ronny Cox aka the dude from Robocop who gets chucked out of a window), so that Picard, Worf, and Dr Crusher can lead a covert mission to destroy a Cardassian bioweapon. Jehlico’s hard-nosed style of leadership immediately rubs the crew up the wrong way bringing him and Riker into nearly everlasting disagreement.
As good as Part I is however, it’s the second part which earns this episode a place on the list. After it turns out that the Cardassian bioweapon was an elaborate trap, Picard is captured and tortured to the edge of madness by Gul Madred (played to perfection by the great David Warner). Picard is practically broken physically and mentally by the Cardassians, with Gul Madred constantly flashing four lights in his face and forcing him to say that there are five (a homage to George Orwell’s 1984) being the one of the most chilling scenes in the entirety of the show.
Having two thespians the calibre of Patrick Stewart and David Warner is always going to make for compelling viewing, and the very fact that David Warner was brought in at the last minute and barely had more than a few days to learn his lines before shooting, makes their scenes together even more impressive.
‘Chain of Command’ is a stark yet fascinating meditation on why torture is a useless and barbaric method of interrogation, and Picard’s talk with Deanna Troi at Part II’s conclusion is as palpably realistic a depiction of PTSD as you’re ever likely to come across.
6. Best Of Both Worlds I- II/Family (Season 3-4)
Although some people consider ‘Best of Both Worlds’ to be just a two parter, personally I like to see it as a trilogy with writer Ronald D Moore’s masterful ‘Family’ as the closing bookend. The Borg, a mass producing cybernetic race, that assimilate whatever culture and civilisation they come across into their super computer, are some of the most terrifying villains in the history of science fiction. Although introduced briefly in the season 2 episode ‘Q Who’, it’s in ‘Best of Both Worlds’ where the audience got to see them in their truly hideous glory.
The federation receives a distress signal from a colony named Jouret IV, and immediately goes to investigate. Upon arrival they discover that the place is now a barren wasteland, and immediately suspect the Borg as being behind the attack. To cut a long story short, the Borg immediately turn their attention to the Enterprise, capture Picard, and assimilate him into the collective as Locutus, planning to use his vast knowledge of the Enterprise and Starfleet to attack Earth. The crew, now captained by Riker, are caught in a race against time to rescue Picard and destroy the Borg before they reach Earth.
‘Best of Both Worlds’ combines horror, action, and character. The Borg and their lack of individuality and empathy make them uniquely twisted villains, straight out of a Harlan Ellison fever dream. The action is fantastic, with the scene where the Enterprise finally encounters the Borg cube being a particular highlight, and although ‘Best of Both Worlds’ is perceived as being a Picard centred storyline upon multiple rewatches it becomes clear that it’s in fact a Riker episode.
At its core ‘Best of Both Worlds’ is a two part meditation on Riker’s ambition, as Picard’s first officer he is loyal to the hilt rejecting multiple promotions to captain his own ship out of a sense of duty to his friend. Now finding himself as acting captain, he isn’t just forced to deal with the Borg but also ponder his own place and career within Starfleet itself in the ultimate crisis situation. Even the title ‘Best of Both Worlds’ can be interpreted as a comment on Riker’s state of being, in that he gets to both stay on the Enterprise yet also experience a taste of captaincy at the same time.
‘Family’ the episode which immediately follows ‘Best of Both Worlds Part II’, picks up right where ‘Best of Both Worlds’ left off. Following the events of the Borg attack and the damage it sustained, the Enterprise is being docked for repairs, leaving the crew with an extensive amount of time off, with Picard, Dr Crusher, and Worf all coming to terms with their families in some way or another. To be completely honest, the Worf and Crusher plots in this episode are pretty weak, but Picard’s arc in this episode is so strong and provides such a great coda to his experiences in the Borg attack that it more than merits inclusion.
Picard returns to his home village in France (La Barre to be specific) to visit his brother Robert, his nephew, and his sister-in-law. Picard is forced to confront both being assimilated by the Borg but the uneasy terms between him and his brother. Strangely enough it’s Robert, the one person that Picard finds impossible to deal with, that helps him confront what has happened to him, culminating in an unforgettable scene where the usually stoic and reserved Picard breaks down into tears. Family is one of the most emotionally satisfying episodes of TNG and an absolute must watch after the adrenaline rush of ‘Best of Both Worlds’.
5. Tapestry (Season 6)
For every strong protagonist you need an equal antagonist as balance, for every Batman you need a Joker, for every Kenshiro you need a Raoh, and for every Doctor you need a Master. In the case of Star Trek however, Jean Luc Picard has Q the omnipotent, all powerful impish trickster, played by John De Lancie who seeks to test Picard’s habitual patience at almost every opportunity. I was considering picking a different Q episode for this list titled Deja Q, but instead I decided to go for ‘Tapestry’ because it’s both a perfect half an hour story and an episode which stays with you long after finishing it.
During a diplomatic mission Picard is shot through the chest, destroying his artificial heart and mortally wounding him. He wakes up in heaven, to Q in full Clarence Odbody angel garb telling him the news of his death. After some deliberation, Q allows Picard to revisit the event from his youth (a barfight with an angry Nausicaan) that led to his artificial heart being implanted in the first place, that Picard bitterly regrets.
This episode works because it has so many valuable lessons to teach about moving on and how even the actions a person most regrets and wishes to erase from their life, are still essential to individual development no matter what and can allow a person to grow and change for the better.
Picard’s bittersweet walk through his youth, with the benefits of age and experience, allow you to see what made him the leader that he is in the first place, and when combined with the humour that a character like Q provides, creates science fiction’s answer to A Christmas Carol. If you’re trying to get someone into TNG then ‘Tapestry’ is an excellent starter episode for newcomers.
4. The Drumhead (Season 4)
If there is one thing that TNG does well it is courtroom drama episodes. Star Trek, at its core, is a philosophy procedural, which uses simple plots to explore some of the biggest moral, social, and ethical questions of our age. Like classic court dramas such as 12 Angry Men, The Crucible, and A Few Good Men before it ‘The Drumhead’ takes a deceptively simple plot, and spins a web of drama and suspense without a single phaser being fired.
A dilithium chamber aboard the Enterprise has exploded, with all signs pointing towards intentional sabotage. Starfleet command brings in the finest legal mind in the organisation, retired rear admiral Norah Satie (played by guest star Jean Simmons) to find the culprit. Various suspects are tabled, with Satie coming to believe that there is a Romulan conspiracy hidden right under Starfleet’s nose. Satie creates a Red Scare – like atmosphere of paranoia and fanaticism around the ship, leading to an unlucky medical technician named Simon Tarses being accused of the crime by virtue of being part Romulan.
What makes this episode work is pretty simple. Firstly, Jean Simmons’s performance as Satie is mesmerising, as she expertly draws out the character’s hidden zeal from the composed and sane front she puts up as she begins to run out of potential candidates for guilt. Secondly, Picard’s speech towards the end of this episode is some of the best acting Patrick Stewart has ever done in the series – and that is saying something, and finally its message that innocent until proven guilty is a human right that can never be taken for granted has become increasingly timeless in this day and age.
3. I Borg (Season 5)
‘I, Borg’ is an idea which shouldn’t work, on paper, within the context of the Borg’s place within Star Trek, but when executed provides a sombre deliberation on what it truly means to be human. The crew discovers a destroyed Borg scout ship with a sole survivor, despite Picard’s concern Dr. Crusher insists on treating the injured Borg aboard the Enterprise, on the condition he is monitored at all times and prevented from hailing the collective.
As plans are hatched to turn the lone Borg into a bomb to destroy the collective, he begins to reassert his individuality. Geordi gives him a human name Hugh, and begins to befriend him. As Picard and the rest of the crew see the humanity in Hugh, this leads them to question their own value systems and humanity for ever wanting to turn him into an explosive Frankenstein’s monster to destroy the collective.
The way that this episode re-contextualises the Borg is masterfully done, in the hands of lesser writers reframing the show’s most iconic villains would be tonally and logically inconsistent. What ‘I, Borg’ does so well, in contrast, is to depict the character’s initial fear and apprehension towards Hugh so that their later recognition of his humanity doesn’t feel in any way forced.
‘I, Borg’ is an episode which has plenty of valuable things to say about empathy and forgiveness but in a measured and adult way, that doesn’t feel the need to chastise and finger point to get its message across.
2. All Good Things I/II (Season 7)
‘All Good Things’ ranks right alongside the finales of Six Feet Under and Better Call Saul as one of the best endings to a TV show that I have ever seen. Wrapping up something as acclaimed and beloved as TNG is no small task, but ‘All Good Things’ managed to produce an ending that is both a great standalone episode on its own and a perfectly fitting ending to seven years’ worth of storytelling.
Picard finds himself caught between three separate timelines, his past, his present, and his future. It turns out that he’s been placed in this situation by none other than Q, who wants to use it to test human potential, and that if he doesn’t restore the balance between the past, the present, and the future the anomaly caused by the time fluctuations will wipe out humanity.
‘All Good Things’ is a Celebrations box for every type of Star Trek fan, you’ve got enough emotion and character moments for people who gravitate toward that side of the series, and at the same time genuinely intelligent conceptual science fiction for the fans who prefer the much more technical side of the show.
This episode speaks to me personally so much , because I am a sentimental type when it comes to a cast of fictional characters that I like and this finale offers the audience the perfect goodbye to both the characters and TNG itself. The final scene where Picard finally joins in the crew’s regular poker tournament, and wonders why he never did so before, serves as an understated yet poignant reminder of why the TNG crew’s interpersonal dynamics are the heart of the show above anything else.
1. The Inner Light (Season 5)
Ah come on – you knew this episode was going to be on a list like this eventually. ‘The Inner Light’ is TNG’s finest hour, an affecting, almost elegiac masterpiece which even when you know how it’s going to end, it still hurts. Put simply, if you can reduce an entire audience of people with the help of a few simple flute notes to tears, then you know you’ve created a story that is truly special.
Picard is struck by a blast from an alien probe, rendering him unconscious. He awakes to find himself in a technologically limited village, where he finds that he is a respected community leader named Kamin who the rest of the villagers believe is suffering from the delusion of being a Starship Captain. Picard lives almost every stage of Kamin’s adult life as he tries to find a solution for the village’s impending doom at owing to the nova of its sun.
Without going too much into spoiler territory because I want you to experience this masterpiece as blindly as possible, ‘The Inner Light’ is an episode that is about why life itself is something truly beautiful and should never be taken for granted. Patrick Stewart gives a tour de force level performance in this episode, given that he has effectively, to juggle playing two completely different characters in Kamin and Picard.
This is an episode that serves as a monument to humanistic storytelling, there are no big battle sequences, no explosions, and no over the top villains – it’s just a man coming to terms with the fact he cannot stop the inevitable demise of himself and everyone around him. If the final five minutes of ‘The Inner Light’ don’t make you cry even a smidge, then there is truly something wrong with you.
What are your favourite episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation? Let us know on our socials @FlickeringMyth…
Simon Thompson
