Top Ten Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes
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Top Ten Star Trek: The Next Generation Episodes
Star Trek: The Next Generation is a show of very middling quality as it has its fair share of weaker installments, but when they hit, they truly hit with many classic, just outstanding episodes in both their themes and storytelling. I appreciate hard science fiction themes instead of action so my list is mainly going to focus on the more political and scientific storylines. So here are ten finest TNG episodes with five honorable mentions.
10. Justice
Wesley is sentenced to death after inadvertently breaking the law on an alien planet. This is by far one of the best episodes of an otherwise clunky first season. It’s full of great ideas, a terrific premise well executed and an engaging, important storyline. Also, it features Wesley and he isn’t as insufferable as he usually is.
9. Captain’s Holiday
By far the most purely entertaining of all the episodes on this list is Captain’s Holiday, an episode in which Picard tries to enjoy his holiday rest, but is interrupted by an alluring woman and one very persistent Ferengi. The mystery at the center of the episode is great and Picard’s romance really works here.
8. Half a Life
Half a Life features an absolutely fantastic subject matter of ritual suicide which I’ve seen before in movies, but it’s also stupendously explored here. It’s a gripping, very well executed story that is further propelled by a terrific turn from Lwaxana Troi who’s here actually an emotional human being instead of the usual caricature that she is for the most time.
7. Conspiracy
Conspiracy is a rare Season 1 episode that really works and it does that in no small part thanks to its atypical nature. It’s literally a science fiction horror story with parasitic aliens and it’s bolstered by some very good special effects, especially for television. It’s very fun and I wished the show included more such episodes.
6. Remember Me
This is one terrific episode starring Beverly Crusher who’s a character who’s had a lot of potential, but she rarely received enough strong episodes for her throughout the show’s run. Here, the concept works and she’s very proactive in the role and I loved the episode’s take on the more introspective journey of a single character.
5. The Outcast
I loved The Outcast despite it being a cheat in its ending, but still there is no denying the power of this story where Riker falls for a woman who comes from an androgynous race, but she wants to be just a woman. It’s a transgender issue reversed and tackling this issue in 1992 is truly impressive, woke and it turned out downright fascinating and quite moving.
4. Suspicions
This is the second episode on my list where Beverly Crusher is the heroine and it’s another classic and a further proof that she needed more time to shine in this series as she’s awesome here in what is a highly mysterious, very well crafted and intense episode with a great female proactive role at its center and a fine conclusion.
3. I, Borg
I, Borg explores the titular race beautifully and it’s a quintessential take on them for sure. Here Picard examines one Borg who actually develop his own identity as the race is usually one body composed of many entities. It’s a terrific, thematically sophisticated and very emotional story with one great turn from the great Picard.
2. The Schizoid Man
The Schizoid Man is by far the most underrated of all TNG episodes as it needs to be respected by more people and right now as it’s absolutely fantastic! An old man doesn’t want to die so he uses Data to transfer his mind onto his body. It’s a great take on the fear of death and it’s one very involving and thrilling episode.
1. The Measure of a Man
The Measure of a Man is the quintessential Data episode and that says a lot as the character’s got quite a lot of terrific stories as the show’s most complex character along with Picard. Speaking of Jean, it’s up to him to prove to the court that Data is human and not just a soulless, mindless robot. It’s the essential theme of this entire series, at least one of the most important ones, and I just loved the courtroom drama feel to this episode. It’s thus by far the most essential and the best TNG episode in my book.
Honorable Mentions:
The Host – Again, this episode doesn’t delve as deep as it should into its lesbian trans themes, but still even including those in an early show needs to be respected.
Darmok – The crew must establish communication with an alien captain, but they fail. It’s a terrific exploration of different cultures, languages and even special needs.
The Bonding – A crew member is killed in a tragic accident, leaving a newly orphaned young son to deal with her death. It’s a very emotional episode that works.
First Contact – This is a highly intriguing and sophisticated episode in its themes while also benefiting from a superb turn from always fun and charming Riker.
The Next Phase – The best La Forge episode of them all is this fun, very different than usual TNG episode in its action-oriented approach.
