Star Trek: The Next Generation

I’ve had a long-standing affection for Star Trek: The Next Generation, since it used to be shown on TV right after I got home from school and I would watch it almost every day.  I must have seen every episode several times when I was younger, but it was only recently that I went back to rewatch them on DVD, partly out of curiosity to see how they would stand up.  I think it’s fair to say that a lot of these episodes haven’t aged well (or were dreadful even at the time), but there are still plenty of gems there. As much for my own reference as anything else, the table below marks which episodes I still thought were good after a gap of many years.

In the table, I’ve also added links to two series of reviews.  The first are Zack Handlen’s excellent reviews of every ST:TNG episode (linked from the initials “ZH” below), and I’ve also added his grade for each episode.  I’ve found myself agreeing with his reviews more often than not, and in a some cases the reviews are significantly more enjoyable than the episodes themselves.  The second set of links are to reviews by Wil Wheaton (who played Wesley Crusher) of some of the episodes from Season 1 – it’s interesting to hear his take on these very variable episodes, particularly since the writers were not good to him at all.

A few other random observations:

  • It’s often been said, but there are plenty of episodes that are completely carried by Patrick Stewart – he’s just fantastic.
  • Predictably, perhaps, given that I enjoyed Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Battlestar Galactica, it seems that lots of my favourite episodes were written by Ronald D. Moore.
  • I hated the holodeck episodes when I was younger, and I still think they have no place in the series. There are any number of problems with the holodeck conceit from a science fiction point of view, and it very rarely adds anything to the story-telling.
  • The pastiches of other genres are dreadful, in particular the insultingly awful “Dixon Hill” parodies of Raymond Chandler. As a general rule, if you think you can write something in the style of Raymond Chandler, you have no idea what makes his books good. (See also the ridiculous Robert Altman version of the Long Goodbye.)

These other links might also be of interest if you enjoyed ST:TNG:

Summary Table of Episodes

The source for this table is the spreadsheet here and the HTML was generated from that with this script.

The key to this colours in this table is:

  • One of my favourites
  • An episode I liked
  • An episode I’m still undecided about
  • A quite missable episode

Season 1

1×01, 1×02 Encounter at Farpoint WP: The new starship Enterprise begins her maiden voyage by uncovering the mysteries of an advanced space station. The crew’s mission is threatened by an omnipotent being named Q, who puts them (and specifically, Captain Picard) on trial for the crimes of all humanity. ZH (B-) WW
1×03 The Naked Now WP: A mysterious, communicable contaminant causes the crew to experience symptoms similar to alcohol intoxication. ZH (D-) WW
1×04 Code of Honor WP: Lt. Yar is abducted by the leader of a people who abide by a strict code of honor, which requires her participation in a fight to the death. ZH (C-) WW
1×05 The Last Outpost WP: An unknown force immobilizes the Enterprise during the Federation’s first encounter with a new alien threat—the Ferengi. ZH (C-) WW
1×06 Where No One Has Gone Before WP: Warp efficiency tests send the Enterprise traveling far beyond known space, where the crew’s imagination takes on real form. First appearance of Eric Menyuk as The Traveler. ZH (B-) WW
1×07 Lonely Among Us WP: An alien entity possesses Dr. Crusher, Worf, and Picard while the Enterprise is transporting delegates from two feuding planets. ZH (C-) WW
1×08 Justice WP: Wesley breaks an idyllic world’s trivial law by accidentally stepping on flowers and faces the death sentence. ZH (C) WW
1×09 The Battle WP: A Ferengi captain returns the abandoned Stargazer to its former captain, Jean-Luc Picard. Picard, who experiences severe headaches, begins to relive the “Battle of Maxia” in which he lost the ship. Guest star Frank Corsentino as DaiMon Bok. ZH (C+) WW
1×10 Hide and Q WP: Q returns to the Enterprise to tempt Commander Riker into joining the Q Continuum with the lure of Q’s powers. ZH (C-) WW
1×11 Haven WP: Lwaxana Troi visits her daughter, Counselor Troi, and prepares her for an arranged marriage. ZH (D) WW
1×12 The Big Goodbye WP: A computer malfunction traps Picard, Data, and Beverly in a Dixon Hill holodeck program set in early 20th-century Earth. ZH (B-) WW
1×13 Datalore WP: The Enterprise crew finds a disassembled android identical to Data at the site of the Omicron Theta colony—where Data was found—which was destroyed by a life form dubbed “the Crystalline Entity.” The reassembled android, Lore, brings the Crystalline Entity to the Enterprise. ZH (B-) WW
1×14 Angel One WP: The Enterprise visits a world dominated by women to rescue survivors of a downed freighter. ZH (F) WW
1×15 11001001 WP: Bynars upgrade the Enterprise’s computers in spacedock. Riker and Picard become distracted by a surprisingly realistic holodeck character. ZH (B) WW
1×16 Too Short a Season WP: The Enterprise transports a legendary geriatric admiral who must once again negotiate a hostage situation involving a man from decades earlier in his career. The admiral is mysteriously growing younger; by the time the Enterprise arrives he is a young man. ZH (C+) WW
1×17 When The Bough Breaks WP: A planet formerly existing only in legend uncloaks and requests help from the Enterprise. Planet’s inhabitants are sterile and want to adopt children from the Enterprise—by force, if necessary. ZH (B) WW
1×18 Home Soil WP: The crew of the Enterprise discovers a crystalline lifeform with murderous intelligence that has been killing the scientists on a terraforming project. ZH (B+) WW
1×19 Coming of Age WP: While Wesley takes a Starfleet Academy entrance exam, the senior staff of the Enterprise are placed under investigation by Starfleet. ZH (C) WW
1×20 Heart of Glory WP: Fugitive Klingons seeking battle attempt to hijack the Enterprise, and ask Worf to join them. ZH (B+) WW
1×21 The Arsenal of Freedom WP: Trapped on the surface of an abandoned planet, an away team becomes unwitting participants in the demonstration of an advanced weapons system. ZH (C+) WW
1×22 Symbiosis WP: Picard tries to mediate a trade dispute between two neighboring planets, one of which is the sole supplier of a drug to treat the other’s apparently fatal disease. ZH (B) WW
1×23 Skin of Evil WP: An evil, tar-like creature holds Troi hostage on an alien world. During the rescue mission, one of the Enterprise crew is killed. ZH (C-) WW
1×24 We’ll Always Have Paris WP: Picard meets an old flame, whose husband has been affected by a dimensional experiment accident. ZH (B-) WW
1×25 Conspiracy WP: The strange behavior of high-ranking officers—which earlier prompted the investigation of the crew (in “Coming of Age”)—leads Picard to uncover a conspiracy within Starfleet. ZH (B) WW
1×26 The Neutral Zone WP: A derelict satellite is found containing cryonically frozen humans from the 21st century as the Enterprise is sent to investigate the destruction of outposts near Romulan space. ZH (C-) WW

Season 2

2×01 The Child WP: Dr. Pulaski joins the Enterprise while La Forge prepares the Enterprise to transport dangerous plague specimens; Deanna spontaneously becomes pregnant and gives birth to a mysterious child. ZH (D+) WW
2×02 Where Silence Has Lease WP: The Enterprise becomes trapped in a “hole in space”, where the crew encounter strange spatial phenomena and crewless ships materialising in and out of existence. The crew suspect they are akin to lab rats. ZH (B) WW
2×03 Elementary, Dear Data WP: After Data easily solves an ordinary Sherlock Holmes holodeck mystery, Geordi asks the computer to make a Holmes villain capable of defeating Data. The resultant Professor Moriarty soon becomes far more powerful than expected. ZH (B+) WW
2×04 The Outrageous Okona WP: The Enterprise is caught up in the schemes of a flamboyant space rogue on the run, while Data explores humor with the help of a holodeck comedian (played by Joe Piscopo). ZH (C-) WW
2×05 Loud As A Whisper WP: The Enterprise hosts a deaf, telepathic ambassador who mediates difficult peace negotiations with the assistance of his trio of telepathic interpreters. ZH (B-) WW
2×06 The Schizoid Man WP: A brilliant scientist and former mentor of Data’s creator, Dr. Ira Graves, cheats death by uploading his memories and personality into the android Data. ZH (C-) WW
2×07 Unnatural Selection WP: The Enterprise receives a distress call from the USS Lantree where the crew find all hands dead from, apparently, old age. The cause of the accelerated aging must be found before scientists on a research colony suffer the same fate. ZH (C+) WW
2×08 A Matter Of Honor WP: Riker is assigned to a Klingon vessel via an officer exchange program between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. ZH (A-) WW
2×09 The Measure Of A Man WP: When Data refuses orders to be dismantled for research purposes, a hearing is convened to determine if he is a legal citizen or property of the Federation. Guest stars Amanda McBroom as JAG Philippa Louvois. ZH (A-) WW
2×10 The Dauphin WP: The Enterprise hosts a young world leader and her mysterious chaperone. Wesley soon falls in love with the young leader. Guest stars Paddi Edwards as Anya. ZH (B) WW
2×11 Contagion WP: A dangerous alien computer virus runs rampant through the Enterprise after causing the destruction of her sister ship, the USS Yamato. ZH (B+) WW
2×12 The Royale WP: Riker, Worf, and Data investigate a structure on an icy gas giant. Inside, they find a casino reconstructed from a bad Earth novel. ZH (B) WW
2×13 Time Squared WP: Picard encounters his future self, when the Enterprise becomes caught in a time loop. ZH (A-) WW
2×14 The Icarus Factor WP: Riker’s estranged father visits to brief him on the command he has been offered, and Worf’s friends discover he is about to miss an important Klingon rite of passage. ZH (C+) WW
2×15 Pen Pals WP: Data befriends a child from a doomed planet, breaking the Prime Directive. ZH (B-) WW
2×16 Q Who WP: Q flings the Enterprise 7,000 light years beyond Federation space and introduces the ship and its crew to the deadly Borg. ZH (A) WW
2×17 Samaritan Snare WP: A group of seemingly dimwitted aliens, the Pakleds, kidnap Geordi to make their ship go. ZH (B-) WW
2×18 Up The Long Ladder WP: Picard must find a way to bring two radically incompatible cultures together, lest both of them face extinction. ZH (C) WW
2×19 Manhunt WP: Deanna’s mother seeks a new husband, and she has her eyes on Picard. ZH (C) WW
2×20 The Emissary WP: Worf’s former lover comes aboard Enterprise to help deal with a Klingon sleeper ship. ZH (B+) WW
2×21 Peak Performance WP: The Enterprise and USS Hathaway face off in simulated combat maneuvers. Data fails to beat a humanoid at a game of Strategema and experiences feelings of self-doubt. ZH (B+) WW
2×22 Shades Of Gray WP: Riker is poisoned by an alien plant and, as he lies comatose, he relives various memories of his life serving the Enterprise. (Clip show as a result of the 1988 Writers Guild of America strike.) ZH (F) WW

Season 3

3×01 Evolution WP: Nanites escape Wesley’s lab and form a collective intelligence, threatening an astrophysicist’s only chance at performing a stellar experiment. Guest star Ken Jenkins as Dr. Paul Stubbs. ZH (B) WW
3×02 The Ensigns of Command WP: Data must persuade a stubborn colony to evacuate their homeland under threat of a powerful and mysterious race. ZH (B+) WW
3×03 The Survivors WP: The Enterprise investigates the last two survivors of an annihilated world, as the entire surface has been transformed to dust except their one little garden and house. Guest stars John Anderson and Anne Haney as Kevin and Rishon Uxbridge. ZH (A) WW
3×04 Who Watches The Watchers WP: Deanna and Riker must rectify the damage done when two primitives from Mintaka III catch glimpse of a Federation observation team and eventually conclude that Captain Picard is a god. ZH (A) WW
3×05 The Bonding WP: A mysterious entity seeks to comfort a boy who has lost his mother in an accident on its planet. Guest star Gabriel Damon as Jeremy Aster. ZH (B+) WW
3×06 Booby Trap WP: The Enterprise falls victim to an ancient booby trap set to snare starships; while in an effort to find an escape, Geordi finds himself falling for the holodeck’s representation of a famous Federation engineer. Guest star Susan Gibney as Dr. Leah Brahms. ZH (B) WW
3×07 The Enemy WP: Geordi is trapped on a harsh planet with a hostile Romulan, and the two must work together to survive. ZH (A-) WW
3×08 The Price WP: Troi falls in love with a charismatic negotiator who vies for rights to a wormhole. But several different groups are after the wormhole as it may be the only known stable wormhole in existence. Guest star Dan Shor as Dr. Arridor. ZH (B-) WW
3×09 The Vengeance Factor WP: Riker exposes an assassin in the midst of critical peace talks. ZH (B) WW
3×10 The Defector WP: Determined to avert a war, a Romulan officer defects to warn Picard of his Empire’s invasion plans. ZH (A) WW
3×11 The Hunted WP: A genetically modified soldier reveals the social problems of a world hoping to join the Federation. Guest star James Cromwell as Prime Minister Nayrok. ZH (A) WW
3×12 The High Ground WP: Dr. Crusher is kidnapped by terrorists who need medical assistance as the technology employed in their attacks is detrimental to their own health. ZH (B-) WW
3×13 Déjà Q WP: The Q Continuum strips Q of his powers, and dumps him aboard the Enterprise. ZH (B+) WW
3×14 A Matter of Perspective WP: Riker is accused of murder, and the holodeck is used to reconstruct the events from different perspectives. ZH (B-) WW
3×15 Yesterday’s Enterprise WP: The Enterprise-C arrives from the past, causing a shift in reality—and the return of the deceased Tasha Yar. ZH (A) WW
3×16 The Offspring WP: Data creates a young gynoid, which he considers his daughter, “Lal”. But a Starfleet admiral arrives demanding she be removed from the Enterprise. Guest star Hallie Todd as Lal. ZH (A-) WW
3×17 Sins of the Father WP: Worf goes on trial to prove his father’s innocence after the Klingon High Council declares that Worf’s father is a traitor, and worked with the Romulans all along. ZH (A) WW
3×18 Allegiance WP: Aliens kidnap Picard and replace him with a duplicate, who sends the Enterprise to a pulsar. Meanwhile, the real Picard and three other captives try to escape from their prison. ZH (B) WW
3×19 Captain’s Holiday WP: Picard is convinced to take some much needed shore leave, but gets wrapped up in a woman’s treasure hunt. Guest star Max Grodenchik as Sovak. ZH (B) WW
3×20 Tin Man WP: A gifted telepath whom Deanna Troi once treated as a patient comes aboard to establish first contact with an unknown vessel near an unstable star before the Romulans do. ZH (B+) WW
3×21 Hollow Pursuits WP: Lt. Barclay’s use of the holodeck as an escape interferes with his duties. Meanwhile, the Enterprise suffers from mysterious and random malfunctions. ZH (B) WW
3×22 The Most Toys WP: An obsessed collector is determined to add Data to his private collection of unique items. Guest star Saul Rubinek as Kivas Fajo. ZH (A-) WW
3×23 Sarek WP: The Enterprise hosts Ambassador Sarek, but his deteriorating mental health causes unforeseen problems. ZH (A) WW
3×24 Ménage à Troi WP: The Ferengi kidnap Deanna, her mother and Riker. ZH (B) WW
3×25 Transfigurations WP: The Enterprise rescues a humanoid with amnesia and incredible healing powers. ZH (B-) WW
3×26 The Best of Both Worlds WP: Picard is kidnapped by the Borg, who begin their invasion of Federation space. ZH (A) WW

Season 4

4×01 The Best of Both Worlds, Part II WP: Picard is rescued from the Borg as the Enterprise races to save Earth. A great number of Starfleet ships are destroyed by the lone Borg ship, although an away team finally rescues Picard. Data interfaces with the half-Borg Picard and finds a way to shut down the Borg ship. Guest star Elizabeth Dennehy as Starfleet Commander Shelby. ZH (A) WW
4×02 Family WP: Picard visits his family in France and Worf’s human parents come aboard the Enterprise. ZH (A) WW
4×03 Brothers WP: Data is summoned by his creator Noonien Soong who is still alive, and they are joined by Lore. ZH (B+) WW
4×04 Suddenly Human WP: Picard must help a human boy, raised by aliens, to decide his fate. ZH (A-) WW
4×05 Remember Me WP: After an apparent failure of a warp-field experiment, people begin to disappear from the Enterprise with only Dr. Crusher remembering that they ever existed. ZH (B) WW
4×06 Legacy WP: Tasha Yar’s sister Ishara seeks to restore order on their conflict-ridden colony world. ZH (B) WW
4×07 Reunion WP: Worf’s ex-girlfriend returns, and along with Picard, the two mediate a Klingon power dispute and Worf discovers more family. ZH (B+) WW
4×08 Future Imperfect WP: Riker finds himself sixteen years in the future, his memory of the interim erased by a dormant virus. ZH (A-) WW
4×09 Final Mission WP: Wesley sets off on his final mission with the Enterprise accompanied by Picard, but they become stranded on a desert planet. ZH (B+) WW
4×10 The Loss WP: An unknown force captures the Enterprise and causes Deanna to lose her empathic powers. ZH (C+) WW
4×11 Data’s Day WP: Data gets dancing lessons from Dr. Crusher in preparation of Chief O’Brien’s wedding as the Enterprise brings Ambassador T’Pel to the Romulans for negotiations. ZH (B-) WW
4×12 The Wounded WP: A rogue Starfleet Captain jeopardizes the Cardassian peace treaty. ZH (A-) WW
4×13 Devil’s Due WP: A powerful mythic figure from a millennium ago returns to enslave a planet in accordance with a contract. However Picard is convinced she is an opportunistic charlatan. Guest star Marta DuBois as Ardra. ZH (B+) WW
4×14 Clues WP: The crew, with the exception of Data, is rendered unconscious for 30 seconds after going through a localized wormhole. However, various clues suggest they were unconscious for an entire day. ZH (B+) WW
4×15 First Contact WP: Riker is hospitalized during a botched pre-first contact mission. Xenophobia results in increasing hostility toward his presence. ZH (B+) WW
4×16 Galaxy’s Child WP: The Enterprise accidentally kills a space creature, and the crew rush to save its unborn offspring. Meanwhile, Geordi meets the engineer he fell in love with and finds to his shock, she’s nothing like the woman he encountered on the holodeck. Guest star Susan Gibney as Dr. Leah Brahms. ZH (C+) WW
4×17 Night Terrors WP: The Enterprise is trapped in a rift. The crew succumbs to REM sleep deprivation, while Deanna has a recurring nightmare. ZH (B) WW
4×18 Identity Crisis WP: Geordi transforms into an alien creature with strong instinct to return to its planet of origin. ZH (B+) WW
4×19 The Nth Degree WP: After an encounter with an alien probe Barclay experiences great leaps in confidence and intelligence. ZH (B) WW
4×20 Qpid WP: Q returns to test Picard’s love for an old flame. ZH (B-) WW
4×21 The Drumhead WP: A witchhunt ensues for suspected Romulan spies aboard the Enterprise. Guest star Jean Simmons as Rear Admiral Norah Satie. ZH (A) WW
4×22 Half a Life WP: Lwaxana Troi finally finds love, but discovers her man must undergo a ritualistic suicide. Guest star David Ogden Stiers as Timicin. ZH (B+) WW
4×23 The Host WP: Dr. Crusher falls in love with Odan, only to discover that Odan is a symbiote, which is implanted into Riker after his original host dies. Odan continues peace negotiations using Riker as a temporary host. ZH (B+) WW
4×24 The Mind’s Eye WP: The Romulans brainwash Geordi to carry out a covert mission. ZH (A) WW
4×25 In Theory WP: Data participates in a romantic relationship with a fellow crew member. ZH (B) WW
4×26 Redemption WP: Worf leaves the Enterprise to fight on behalf of Gowron in a Klingon civil war. ZH (A-) WW

Season 5

5×01 Redemption II WP: A fleet of 23 Federation ships blockades Romulan support to the Duras family, resulting in Gowron’s installation as Chancellor. ZH (B) WW
5×02 Darmok WP: Picard must learn to communicate with an alien captain who speaks in metaphors before a dangerous beast kills them both. Guest star Paul Winfield as Dathan. ZH (A) WW
5×03 Ensign Ro WP: After an attack on a Federation outpost, Picard is sent to locate a Bajoran terrorist, with the help of Ensign Ro Laren. ZH (A-) WW
5×04 Silicon Avatar WP: The crew, with the help of a scientist whose son lived on Data’s home world, attempt to communicate with the Crystalline Entity. ZH (B+) WW
5×05 Disaster WP: The Enterprise is without power, trapping Picard in a turbolift with three children and trapping others in various locations. Command of the bridge falls to Counselor Troi, who feels ill-prepared. ZH (B+) WW
5×06 The Game WP: Wesley visits the Enterprise, but finds the crew addicted to a mind-altering computer game. Guest star Ashley Judd as Robin Lefler. ZH (C) WW
5×07 Unification I WP: Spock is reported to have defected to the Romulans. Picard and Data travel to Romulus on a cloaked Klingon vessel to investigate. ZH (B) WW
5×08 Unification II WP: Spock attempts to unify the Vulcans and Romulans in peace, but falls into a Romulan trap. ZH (B) WW
5×09 A Matter of Time WP: A historian from the 26th century visits the Enterprise, while they help a planet prevent a nuclear winter. Guest star Matt Frewer as Berlinghoff Rasmussen. ZH (B) WW
5×10 New Ground WP: Worf tries to be a father to his son, Alexander, while the Enterprise helps to test a new propulsion technology. ZH (B-) WW
5×11 Hero Worship WP: Data saves the life of an orphaned boy, who begins to emulate him. ZH (B+) WW
5×12 Violations WP: An alien traveling aboard the Enterprise telepathically molests Troi and invades the minds of Beverly Crusher and William Riker. ZH (C+) WW
5×13 The Masterpiece Society WP: The Enterprise helps a far-flung eugenic human colony avoid destruction, but upsets its delicate balance by ending 200 years of isolation. ZH (B-) WW
5×14 Conundrum WP: The crew’s memory is erased, and they discover they are being manipulated into being the key part of a war. ZH (B+) WW
5×15 Power Play WP: Troi, O’Brien, and Data are possessed by entities who want control of the ship. ZH (B) WW
5×16 Ethics WP: Worf becomes paralyzed—and suicidal—and Dr. Crusher consults a risk-taking researcher to save his life. ZH (B-) WW
5×17 The Outcast WP: Riker falls in love with an androgynous person after rescuing some others trapped in “null space.” ZH (A) WW
5×18 Cause and Effect WP: The Enterprise becomes stuck in a causality loop, but the crew retain some memory of previous instances. Guest star Kelsey Grammer as Morgan Bateson. ZH (A) WW
5×19 The First Duty WP: Wesley is questioned over a Starfleet Academy flight-training accident. Guest star Ray Walston as Boothby. ZH (A) WW
5×20 Cost of Living WP: Deanna’s mother, Lwaxana, arrives to marry a man she has never met. Worf has difficulty rearing Alexander, which is exacerbated when Lwaxana takes the boy under her wing. ZH (C) WW
5×21 The Perfect Mate WP: Picard forces himself to resist the charms of a female empathic metamorph, who is sent to marry an alien leader as a peace offering. Guest star Famke Janssen as Kamala. ZH (B+) WW
5×22 Imaginary Friend WP: A child’s imaginary playmate takes on real form and threatens the well-being of the Enterprise. ZH (B-) WW
5×23 I Borg WP: The Enterprise rescues a Borg survivor, and Picard plans to use him as a weapon against his nemesis by exposing him to a computer virus. ZH (A-) WW
5×24 The Next Phase WP: A transporter accident traps Geordi and Ensign Ro out of phase; while the others plan their funeral they must find a way to reverse the process and save the Enterprise from destruction. ZH (A-) WW
5×25 The Inner Light WP: A space probe creates a telepathic tether and causes Picard to experience, in twenty-five minutes, a lifetime as a married man on a world that was destroyed a millennium ago. ZH (A+) WW
5×26 Time’s Arrow WP: A 500-year-old artifact is uncovered on Earth: Data’s severed head. The Enterprise investigates alien involvement in Earth’s past and Data fulfills his destiny. ZH (B-) WW

Season 6

6×01 Time’s Arrow, Part II WP: The Enterprise crew follow Data to San Francisco of the 1890s. The crew deals with Samuel Clemens (and run into Jack London), while trying to find a way to prevent aliens from interfering with 19th-century Earth. Guest star: Jerry Hardin as Samuel Clemens. ZH (D+) WW
6×02 Realm of Fear WP: Barclay must overcome his fear of the transporter to solve a mystery. ZH (B-) WW
6×03 Man of the People WP: A psychic ambassador uses Deanna’s mind to influence the outcome of his mission. ZH (C) WW
6×04 Relics WP: The Enterprise investigates a vessel that crashed on the surface of a Dyson sphere 75 years ago. An undegraded pattern is found in the transporter buffer, that of Mr. Scott. Feeling out of place and obsolete, Scotty agrees to return to his vessel with Geordi to help restore the logs, and they become the only hope when the Enterprise is accidentally pulled inside the sphere. ZH (A) WW
6×05 Schisms WP: Several members of the crew are abducted and experimented on while they sleep. ZH (B) WW
6×06 True Q WP: Q reveals a secret about a young woman from Kansas who is visiting the Enterprise. Guest star: Olivia D’Abo as Amanda Rogers. ZH (B+) WW
6×07 Rascals WP: A transporter malfunction turns Picard, Keiko, Ro and Guinan into children, who become the ship’s only hope when they are left aboard while the adult crew are forced to perform dangerous labor by Ferengi pirates. ZH (B-) WW
6×08 A Fistful of Datas WP: Data’s mind is connected to the ship’s computer, which creates unforeseen effects on the holodeck. ZH (B+) WW
6×09 The Quality of Life WP: Data observes self-guided “tools” used at a mining station display signs of sentience, and fights for their preservation, even risking Captain Picard’s life on the ground that it is unacceptable to kill one sentient being to save another. ZH (B+) WW
6×10 Chain of Command, Part I WP: Captain Jellico is assigned command of the Enterprise, while Picard is sent on a covert mission into Cardassian territory. Guest star: Ronny Cox as Edward Jellico. ZH (B+) WW
6×11 Chain of Command, Part II WP: Picard, having been captured, is tortured by a sadistic Cardassian interrogator (played by David Warner). ZH (A) WW
6×12 Ship in a Bottle WP: Barclay accidentally awakens Prof. Moriarty on the holodeck, who uses the powers at his disposal to coerce the crew into finding a way to allow him to leave the holodeck. Guest star: Daniel Davis as Professor Moriarty. ZH (A-) WW
6×13 Aquiel WP: Geordi falls for an alien Starfleet officer who is suspected of murder. Guest star Renee Jones as Aquiel Uhnari. ZH (C) WW
6×14 Face of the Enemy WP: Deanna is involuntarily recruited to assist in the transport of Romulan defectors across the border. ZH (B+) WW
6×15 Tapestry WP: An accident kills Picard, and he finds an afterlife with Q analyzing his past choices. ZH (A) WW
6×16 Birthright, Part I WP: Worf is told on Deep Space Nine his father is alive, and being held prisoner by the Romulans. Meanwhile an engineering experiment accidentally results in Data’s first dream. Guest star: James Cromwell as Jaglom Shrek. ZH (B+) WW
6×16 Birthright, Part II WP: Worf, now a prisoner, tries to teach the Klingon refugees the ways of the warrior. ZH (B) WW
6×18 Starship Mine WP: Thieves attempt to steal trilithium from Enterprise during a Baryon sweep at the Remmler Array, and Picard alone must thwart them. ZH (B) WW
6×19 Lessons WP: Picard becomes involved with a woman who is serving on the Enterprise, but he must send her into a dangerous mission. ZH (B+) WW
6×20 The Chase WP: Picard tries to solve an ancient genetic mystery uncovered by his archaeological mentor, and faces stiff competition. Guest star: Norman Lloyd as Richard Galen. ZH (B+) WW
6×21 Frame of Mind WP: Riker finds himself prisoner in an alien mental institution, which resembles scenes from Beverly’s play. ZH (A) WW
6×22 Suspicions WP: Dr. Crusher risks her career to solve the murder of Ferengi scientist Dr. Reyga and vindicate his research. ZH (B-) WW
6×23 Rightful Heir WP: Worf experiences a crisis of faith, and travels to a Klingon holy site where the mythic figure Kahless returns to lead the Klingon people. ZH (A) WW
6×24 Second Chances WP: Riker encounters a duplicate of himself created by a transporter malfunction stranded on a planet. “Thomas” vies for Deanna’s affections. ZH (B+) WW
6×25 Timescape WP: The Enterprise is caught in temporal stasis, and on the brink of destruction by a Romulan ship. ZH (B) WW
6×26 Descent WP: The crew encounter a group of Borg acting individually, and Data briefly experiences emotions. ZH (B) WW

Season 7

7×01 Descent, Part II WP: The Borg are being led by Lore. Data falls under his control by being fed negative emotions. ZH (B-) WW
7×02 Liaisons WP: Worf and Troi reluctantly play host to two Lyraan ambassadors, while Picard crashes in a shuttle with another Lyraan. He is rescued by a human female who exhibits strange behavior. ZH (B-) WW
7×03 Interface WP: Geordi tries to rescue his mother’s starship via a remotely controlled probe. ZH (C+) WW
7×04 Gambit, Part I WP: The Enterprise crew investigate the apparent murder of Captain Picard during an archaeological trip. Riker is kidnapped by mercenaries and finds Picard working as part of their crew. ZH (B) WW
7×05 Gambit, Part II WP: Picard and Riker help mercenaries collect archaeological artifacts to prevent an ancient Vulcan weapon falling into the wrong hands. ZH (B-) WW
7×06 Phantasms WP: Data experiences strange dreams, while the Enterprise has issues with its new Warp-core. But all is not as it seems. ZH (B+) WW
7×07 Dark Page WP: A psychic breakdown puts Lwaxana Troi in a coma, and Deanna works to save her life. Features a young Kirsten Dunst, playing the little girl Hedril. ZH (B-) WW
7×08 Attached WP: Reclusive aliens imprison Picard and Dr. Crusher on charges of espionage, and experimental implants linking their minds telepathically cause them to face their latent feelings for each other. ZH (B+) WW
7×09 Force of Nature WP: A pair of scientists show that warp drives are harming the fabric of space. ZH (B) WW
7×10 Inheritance WP: Data encounters a woman claiming to be his “mother”. ZH (B-) WW
7×11 Parallels WP: Worf finds himself randomly shifting between alternate realities. ZH (A-) WW
7×12 The Pegasus WP: Riker’s former Captain boards the Enterprise to retrieve the USS Pegasus. Picard investigates the circumstances of its loss and finds that there has been a cover-up. Features Terry O’Quinn as Admiral Eric Pressman. ZH (A-) WW
7×13 Homeward WP: Worf’s human foster brother violates the Prime Directive to save a doomed primitive race. ZH (C+) WW
7×14 Sub Rosa WP: Dr. Crusher attends her grandmother’s funeral, and takes on an unusual family tradition. ZH (D) WW
7×15 Lower Decks WP: Junior officers buck for promotion as one of them is assigned the dangerous task of helping a Cardassian spy. ZH (A) WW
7×16 Thine Own Self WP: Data loses his memory after retrieving radioactive fragments on a planet’s surface and endangers the humanoid settlement he encounters, while Deanna studies to become a bridge officer. ZH (B+) WW
7×17 Masks WP: The Enterprise finds an ancient library that recreates its civilization by taking possession of Data and transforming the ship. ZH (C) WW
7×18 Eye of the Beholder WP: Deanna investigates the suicide of a crewman and uncovers a murder that took place during construction of the Enterprise. ZH (C-) WW
7×19 Genesis WP: A routine medical treatment inadvertently creates a virus that begins to de-evolve the Enterprise crew while Picard and Data are on an away mission. This is the first and only episode to be directed by Gates McFadden, who plays Dr. Crusher. ZH (C-) WW
7×20 Journey’s End WP: Wesley considers his future, as the Enterprise is ordered to remove Native American colonists from a planet that is about to fall under Cardassian jurisdiction. Guest star Richard Poe as Gul Evek. Final appearance of Eric Menyuk as The Traveler. ZH (C) WW
7×21 Firstborn WP: Worf attempts to convince his son Alexander to embrace his warrior heritage. Guest star James Sloyan as K’mtar. ZH (C+) WW
7×22 Bloodlines WP: DaiMon Bok returns to exact revenge on Picard, by trying to kill the son Picard never knew he had. Guest star Lee Arenberg as DaiMon Bok. ZH (C+) WW
7×23 Emergence WP: The Enterprise becomes an emergent intelligence. ZH (B-) WW
7×24 Preemptive Strike WP: Ensign Ro graduates from advanced tactical training, and is sent by Picard to lure Maquis terrorists into a trap. Guest star Richard Poe as Gul Evek. ZH (A) WW
7×25 All Good Things… WP: Picard finds himself alternating between three time periods thanks to Q, with a spacetime distortion that threatens to destroy reality growing larger in the past, and smaller in the future. ZH (A) WW

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Comments

One response to “Star Trek: The Next Generation”

  1. BRIAN GALLAGHER Avatar
    BRIAN GALLAGHER

    Always had an issue with the TNG writers when it came to the Borg. The Borg always seemed undefeatable to a point, but the good guys could “beam” over to the “cube” anytime they wanted.

    In the OS in the episode “Obsession” Kirk detonated a matter/anti-matter bomb and blew away the “vampire cloud’ and half the atmosphere.

    Why not just beam one of those M/A-M bombs over to the “cube” and turn tail and run.

    Seems a lot easier.

    BPG

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