10 Unforgettable Episodes Of Star Trek: The Next Generation

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.