10 Unforgettable Episodes Of Star Trek: The Next Generation

There's an eternal debate amongst Star Trek fans over which is better: The Original Series or The Next Generation? In the spirit of fair play, then, we've previously outlined the finest episodes of TOS and now it's time to take a look at the best of what TNG had to offer. And it's a timely task, too, as CBS All Access is in the midst of creating a brand new series starring Patrick Stewart, returning as Jean-Luc Picard for the first time in almost 20 years. There's a lot riding on the show, but the fan favorite actor has promised that the series will build on what TNG did with the character across its seven seasons and honor it. Production begins in April, with an expected release of later this year and as such, we should start to learn more about it soon. But can the new Picard show ever match the heights of The Next Generation? Perhaps, but first, let's have a look at how good the series could be when it was at its prime. There are obviously a ton of great episodes, but starting on the next page we've whittled it down to just the 10 best outings which we feel represent TNG when it was firing on all cylinders. Darmok In this season 5 episode, the Enterprise-D crew encounter an alien race that speaks in a totally allegorical language. Though their universal translators can translate their words into English, Picard and his men are at a loss to understand the metaphors and stories that the Tamarians use to communicate. This causes problems when Picard and the Tamarian captain (Paul Winfield, known to Trek fans as Captian Terrell in The Wrath of Khan) are transported to a nearby planet's surface, where they have to work together to survive. A favorite of critics and often used in linguistic studies, "Darmok" is a beautifully-crafted episode that explores the barriers that language can engender but ultimately also celebrates the different forms it takes. With its themes of crossing cultural divides and building bridges with those different from us that at first seemed alien and unknowable, it's pretty much a perfect example of what Star Trek should do. Oh, and watch out for Ashley Judd making her acting debut. Lower Decks With the regular cast so well-established by TNG's seventh season, the writers decided to break the mold and look at these familiar faces through the lens of some folks we didn't usually spend much time with. In "Lower Decks," a bunch of junior officers are enlisted on a top secret rescue mission on the border of Cardassian Empire, allowing them to rub shoulders with the likes of Worf, Riker, Beverley Crusher and Geordi. A clear inspiration for later "shifted perspective" TV stories like Buffy the Vampire Slayer's "The Zeppo" or Doctor Who's "Love and Monsters," "Lower Decks" is probably the most successful as it not only has fun focusing on these oft-sidelined characters, but also allows us to see what it would be like to live in Star Trek as a bit player. It's so good, in fact, that it's the inspiration for the upcoming adult comedy animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks, from Rick and Morty writer Mike McMahan. I, Borg It usually meant things went big and dark when the Borg came to town, but season 5's "I, Borg" finds a brilliantly fresh way of tackling the villains as it explores one lost Borg drone regaining his individuality. Jonathan Del Arco delivers a great guest performances as the Borg who comes to be known as Hugh, with LeVar Burton getting a real chance to shine as La Forge wrestles with his unexpected growing friendship with a being he once thought an enemy. The crux of the episode is the tough moral dilemma the Enterprise crew face: they could use Hugh to destroy the Borg for good, but it would not only mean committing genocide but also sacrificing an individual being for the greater good. "I, Borg" also sets up the all-important idea that Borg can become individuals again, which comes into play big time in the season 6 finale "Descent" and with Voyager's Seven of Nine. Tapestry In what's essentially Star Trek does A Christmas Carol, Q grants Picard the chance to change a key event in his youth - the time getting stabbed during a bar brawl left him with an artificial heart. Thinking that his life would've been better if he hadn't been so rash in his younger days, Picard alters his past. But in the present, his life is not as rich as it was before - his newfound aversion to risks means he's only a middling officer of no distinction - and he learns that his life-threatening injury changed him in positive ways he never understood. "Tapestry" kicks off with a ballsy move - Picard actually dies in the opening scenes, before Q resurrects him - and only gets better from there. Stewart and John De Lancie bounce off each other wonderfully as usual and it's fascinating to dig deep into what made Picard the disciplined captain we know him as. Plus, there's a terrific exploration of how every thread in the tapestry of our lives makes us who we are and to undo one of them would irrevocably alter the whole. Q Who Fun fact: Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry originally planned for the Ferengi to be the main villains of TNG but, after a few episodes, the writers decided they were too comical. Hence the introduction of the definitely not comical Borg mid-way through season 2 in "Q Who," which made it clear that these were the biggest threat we'd seen Starfleet face yet. When Q appears on the Enterprise demanding to join the crew, Picard makes the mistake of saying they don't need him as they can handle anything they come across. Q then transports the ship into a distant region of space where they encounter the Borg for the first time. Hopelessly out of their depth, Picard has to plea with Q to help them against the might of the Borg. It's not quite as world-shaking as the iconic next appearance of the cyborg race, but "Q Who" is definitely a landmark episode in Trek lore. The Measure Of A Man Data's life is under threat when a superior office orders that he be dismantled in order to produce copies of him. He refuses, of course, but under Starfleet law, the android can do nothing about it as he's legally counted as mere property and not an employee. Picard takes up Data's defense in a court of law, arguing that Data deserves equal rights, but Riker's forced to act as reluctant prosecutor on the case, pitting friend and friend. The genius of "The Measure of the Man" is that it takes the age-old science fiction questions of artificial intelligence and the autonomy of androids and examines them in a fresh, dramatic way through the structure of a court room drama. As all great sci-fi - and Star Trek - should, the themes touch on real-world issues as well as you can read the whole thing as an allegory for slavery. Also, the sparkling script is brought to life by very strong performances from Brent Spiner, Stewart and Jonathan Frakes, which makes this a TNG classic. All Good Things... There are many ways of handling a series finale and The Next Generation decided to go not with the "bigger the better" route as such, but instead a high concept moving piece that acts as a love letter to the past seven seasons of the show, the character of Picard and manages to tie overarching plotlines up with a neat bow. The two-part episode sees Picard flung through time as he finds himself at different stages of his life: the present day, the events of the series' first ever episode and 25 years in the future. It turns out that this is Q's doing, as it's up to Picard to prove humanity's potential to the Q Continuum by solving the mystery of an unexplained spacial anomaly. "All Good Things" not only brings things full circle by revisiting where the series began, but it'll no doubt prove to be of continued importance in Stewart's new show, too, as it takes a peak at Picard's future. What's more, for a taste of how influential that is, Marvel chief Kevin Feige has teased that it's a huge inspiration for the tone and structure of Avengers: Endgame. So MCU fans might want to rewatch this finale before the movie comes out. Yesterday's Enterprise "Yesterday's Enterprise" opens with another of TNG's great jaw dropping opening sequences. As the Enterprise-D flies through a space/time anomaly, the reality of the ship changes. Not least, Worf is replaced by Tasha Yar, who died way back in season 1. It turns out it's all to do with the return of the Enterprise-C, whose crew were supposed to die saving a Klingon outpost. Without this happening, the Federation/Klingon conflict continues and Starfleet's much more militarized. Though this list makes it clear that TNG had a few memorable time travel episodes, this has to be the best of them, as it just works so well on so many levels. It's a thrilling, pacy episode in of itself and it also sets many plates spinning that'll be revisited in future stories. It's also the best use of Tasha as a character, retconning her previous rubbish death and making her much more of a tragic figure. "Yesterday's Enteprise" is all the more impressive as it began life as a fan script, as the series had an extremely rare open submission policy. Maybe more shows should put faith in its fans' ideas and see what they can come up with. The Inner Light We've established by now that The Next Generation is often at its best when it uses sci-fi set-ups to explore an intimate, human story that allows Patrick Stewart to act his socks off. This is never more true than in season 5's "The Inner Light," a beautiful, emotional tale that rightfully won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation back in 1993 (one of only three Star Trek episodes to do so). When Picard's hit with an energy beam from an alien probe, his crew believe him to be simply knocked unconscious, but actually, Picard finds himself experiencing another man's life: Kamin, a scientist on a faraway planet whose sun appears to be turning nova. Stewart's performances as he ages 40 years in this other life is perhaps his very best in the franchise and the final reveal - that the probe acts as the last record of Kamin's race after his world died - is a poignant and somber one. "The Inner Light" is arguably the creative peak of TNG, with Stewart naming it as his favorite episode. The writing, acting, directing are all exceptional. And special mention should also go to the gorgeous flute-based score from composer Jay Chattaway. The Best Of Both Worlds: Parts 1 & 2 Ask Star Trek: The Next Generation fans what the show's best story is and most will surely say the two-part "The Best of Both Worlds." The outing ended season 3 on a high before opening the follower year with a kick and together forms a dramatic tour-de-force that changed the shape of the series itself and the life of its main character forever. Yes, this is the one where Picard is assimilated by the Borg and becomes their de facto leader, Locutus, their figurehead in a planned conquest of Earth. Not only are the stakes high in terms of the threat, but they're personally dramatic as well as the Enterprise crew have to defeat and rescue their corrupted captain. At the time, the cliffhanger of episode 1 drove fans up the wall and the Picard twist deserves to go down as a seminal moment in the history of genre TV. As Jonathan Frakes has commented: "Shows like Lost and House of Cards — they'll kill off a regular and think nothing of it. This was 1990. It was not commonplace to be killing off any of your series regulars." "The Best of Both Worlds" is also best enjoyed with the following episode, "Family," which sees Picard return to his French home and explores the psychological ramifications of his time as part of the Borg. The whole ordeal is perhaps the defining moment of the character's life. As such, we'll be very surprised if the shadow of these episodes didn't impact on the upcoming CBS All Access series.