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.