Star Trek: The Next Generation is one of the best sci-fi TV shows of all time, and it’s tough to narrow down a list of the best episodes in the series. Almost all of TNG’s 178 episodes are good, and aside from a handful (looking at you, Sub Rosa), you can pick one at random and strike gold. However, some stand above the rest as the best of what Star Trek has to offer, and we’ve gathered our favorites below.
What are the best Star Trek: The Next Generation episodes?
We’ve gathered our favorite Star Trek TNG episodes below and consider them to be among the best of what the series has to offer. The Next Generation has some of the franchise’s highest highs but is generally high quality throughout. If you’re a first-time viewer, we don’t recommend starting with these episodes. Even though the show generally follows a serialized format, there’s plenty of character development and references to previous events as the series continues. It’s best to start at the beginning with Encounter at Farpoint and keep an eye out for the bangers below.
Yesterday’s Enterprise
- Season 3, Episode 15
In Yesterday’s Enterprise, the Enterprise-D is studying a temporal rift. As they attempt to study it, the Enterprise-C emerges from the past, altering the timeline. In the blink of an eye, reality shifts, and the Enterprise-D is a dimly-lit warship, and the Federation and Klingon Empire have been at war for 20 years. After the switch, Guinan senses something is deeply wrong when Tasha Yar, who died in the primary timeline, is still alive. Guinan convinces Captain Picard that the Enterprise- C must return to the past. However, as the Enterprise-C prepares to return to the rift, Picard and his crew wrestle with the moral dilemma of sending their predecessors into almost certain death. Watching how Tasha comes to terms with the fact that she should be dead and Picard’s struggle with sacrificing the few for the many cements Yesterday’s Enterprise as a standout.
Best of Both Worlds
- Part 1: Season 3, Episode 26
- Part 2: Season 4, Episode 1
The Borg are the most ominous antagonists the Federation has faced over the franchise’s six decades. When Best of Both Worlds aired, we’d only seen the Borg once, and they seemed unbeatable. Part 1 drops viewers straight into the nightmare: the Enterprise-D detects a massive Borg cube heading toward Federation space, and soon, the Borg has captured Picard, proclaiming him Locutus. The cliffhanger ending, in which Riker decided to fire on his captain and mentor, left audiences reeling until the release of Season 4.
In Part 2, the crew races to rescue Picard and halt the invasion of Earth. Worf’s desperate plan to destroy the cube risks the entire ship, and Patrick Stewart delivers a haunting performance as Picard/Locutus caught between his former self and the Collective’s will. The tension is palpable when Riker must choose between following orders or trusting his instincts to save his captain and countless lives. Best of Both Worlds remains a benchmark for sci-fi drama that few other works have matched.
Cause and Effect
- Season 5, Episode 18
In Cause and Effect, the Enterprise-D becomes trapped in a deadly time loop, replaying the hours leading up to its destruction over and over. At first, the crew barely notices the subtle déjà vu that builds with each loop, dismissing it as a glitch. However, when too many coincidences line up, they realize they’re caught in a loop. However, even knowing this the crew’s scrambles to break the cycle before the Enterprise explodes again fails and the cycle starts over again. Eventually, a way is found for Data to send a very short message forward to the next loop, which allows him to make the right decision to save the ship.
Parallels
- Season 7, Episode 11
Star Trek dealt with parallel universes as far back as The Original Series, but Parallels is the definitive TNG take on the concept. After competing in a Klingon tournament, Worf returns to the Enterprise-D to find himself in an odd predicament. He begins experiencing mental fugues, and each time they occur, small details change: a birthday cake is a different flavor, or a painting is different. As Worf shifts through alternate realities caused by his shuttle’s passage through a quantum fissure, he experiences different versions of life aboard the Enterprise, including a reality where he is married to Deanna Troi. As Worf continues to return to his home universe, we get to see a myriad of Enterprises and all the possibilities that could have occurred. It makes for a fascinating what-if experience and a great twist on a recurring Star Trek theme.
All Good Things
- Part 1: Season 7, Episode 25
- Part 2: Season 7, Episode 26
All Good Things brings The Next Generation full circle, serving as an excellent bookend to the series and a testament to its storytelling ambitions. As Part 1 opens, Picard suddenly jumps through time: from the present to decades into the future, where he’s a retired vintner and finally back to the Enterprise-D’s first mission. Of course, Q is behind the whole thing and declares that the trial that began in Encounter at Farpoint never ended. The stakes go beyond Picard and his crew this time. If he doesn’t stop it, the anomaly’s effects will reach far into the past and prevent the primordial processes that began life. Picard has to use his wits to unite three versions of his crew from across three timelines if he hopes to succeed.
How we chose the best Star Trek TNG episodes
The author has been watching Star Trek: The Next Generation since the show’s first run and has revisited most episodes multiple times. We drew on that experience and researched general critical consensus to determine which episodes of TNG are considered the best. However, with a series this good, there are plenty more that could have made the cut. So, check back in the future as we continue to update and refine this article to see if your favorite gets added.
