Out of all the Star Trek shows there have been, there are few that can match the caliber and quality of The Next Generation. There are so many great episodes across all seven seasons, and every episode is filled with action, intellect, and everything in between, all of which continues to excite and entice viewers of all ages.
With that said, there are certainly a few episodes that stand above the rest and deliver unforgettable television experiences. As much as it is a show about aliens and spaceships, The Next Generation is still able to capture so much nuance and intrigue through perfect dialogue and well-crafted storylines, transforming a regular viewing session into something truly special.
8 Descents (Part I/II)
The End Of The Long-Lost Brothers
- Season 6/7, Episode 26/1
The Borg are back once again, this time led by the unforgiving and persistent Lore, the older brother figure to Data. During an encounter with the infamous villains, Data experiences a different, almost emotional response to the combat. After trailing the Borg to a remote planet, some of the crew are left stranded on the surface, and Data seemingly disappears to join the Borg and their side.
Eventually, the crew discovers Lore and his plan and are able to thwart him and the Borg before Data’s emotions get the best of him, but the buildup and exploration of emotional depth and struggle are beautiful and frightening. This episode of The Next Generation also shows a weakness of Data that has previously been explored, but this time, it goes much further and truly pushes the lovable android to his limit.
7 Conundrum
Memory Loss Is Never An Easy Foe
- Season 5, Episode 14
«Conundrum» is a curious episode with a simplistic plot that involves little to no fighting at all. In it, the crew is going about an ordinary day, when all of their memories are completely wiped, resulting in them having no recollection of who they are, what their roles are, or what their mission on the ship is. As things unfold, they begin to piece things together via loose threads found in ship logs and try to find some sense of their former selves.
But one character, MacDuff, is insistent that the crew approach and fire upon a Lysian command center, stating that they are at war and they need to be destroyed. The crew wrestles with a deep moral dilemma and eventually manages to uncover the truth of MacDuff and return their memories with everyone still alive. It’s a great episode that really tests the crew in a unique way.
6 Yesterday's Enterprise
Time Travel Can Get Very Messy
- Season 3, Episode 15
Time is fractured in «Yesterday’s Enterprise,» as the USS Enterprise-D suddenly finds itself in an altered timeline, one of endless war with the relentless Klingon Empire. At the heart of the disruption is the sudden appearance of the USS Enterprise-C through a temporal rift, whose presence in the timeline has shifted the course of galactic events. In this darker version of the present, the familiar crew is hardier, battle-worn, and living in a reality shaped by sacrifice and survival.
As Captain Picard and his crew piece together the anomaly, it becomes clear that returning the Enterprise-C to its rightful place in time, where it was meant to heroically fall in battle, may be the only way to restore peace. Tasha Yar, alive again in this timeline, volunteers to return with the ship, seeking purpose and redemption in a life that wasn’t supposed to be. The episode is a powerful meditation on destiny and sacrifice, showcasing how even a small change in history can ripple into a very different future.
5 Data's Day
Inside The Mind Of The Quizzical Android
- Season 4, Episode 11
Data is and has always been a fan favorite in TNG, and whenever he gets a whole episode in the spotlight, it is always a treat. This episode pretty much just s Data around and includes an amusing and insightful internal monologue that adds a lot of context and flavor to his actions and words. He engages in jokes, dance, conversation, and more, using his android charm to fix and cause quite a few problems.
With Keiko and O’Brien’s wedding approaching quickly, Data has to figure out how to solve a mystery with the transporter, rekindle the love between the weds-to-be, and still keep his relationships intact with the rest of the crew. Having a whole hour inside Data’s head is both comedic and sweet, demonstrating the extra layers to his otherwise robotic character.
4 I, Borg
More Than Just A Collective
- Season 5, Episode 23
The Borg show up once again in The Next Generation, only this time in a very different way. A lone individual, separated from the collective, is rescued and interrogated on the ship. As they spend more time with the drone, giving him the name Hugh, they start to realize that there is far more individuality about him than they could have ever imagined, and his time apart from the collective demonstrates a departure from their expectations of the race.
The crew is then faced with a tricky decision: return Hugh to the Borg and use him as a weapon to take them out from the inside or treat him as an individual with his own rights and free will. The exploration of identity and autonomy is simply amazing, and it offers a real insight into a world that is otherwise regarded as pure evil.
3 Chain Of Command
Mental Torment Of The Highest Degree
- Season 6, Episode 10/11
Picard is constantly being pushed and tested in The Next Generation, but «Chain of Command» features what is quite possibly his biggest challenge yet. After a covert mission into Cardassian space goes wrong, Picard is captured and taken to Gul Madred, who has more than just torture in mind for the disheveled Starfleet veteran. Forced to stare into a series of bright lights, Madred continuously asks Picard for number of lights, to which he always replies «Four» and is given a swift infliction of physical pain as a result.
The goal of the torture is to attempt to break Picard and control his mind by removing all sense of free will, and Madred can only accomplish this if Picard gives in and says there are five lights. It is hard to watch, but as the psychological toll continues to grow, Picard is able to stay in control of his own mind and is eventually returned to the ship just before his breaking point.
2 All Good Things (Parts I/II)
The End Of A Generation
- Season 7, Episode 25/26
Time is Picard’s greatest adversary in the series finale, pushing the captain to his limits for the final time. Suddenly shifting between three timelines, past, present, and future, Picard must piece together a mystery involving a temporal anomaly that threatens the very existence of humanity. As he struggles to convince those around him that the danger is real, he faces plenty of doubt and the terrifying possibility that he’s losing his mind.
Guided and antagonized by Q, Picard realizes this is not just a scientific puzzle but a final test of his growth and understanding. The anomaly, it turns out, is something he himself caused across the timelines, and only by trusting in himself and uniting the crews of each era can he undo the damage. With divisive thinking and quick decision-making, Picard manages to solve the puzzle in what is a fitting end to the journey, blending high-stakes sci-fi with deep character insight and showing a captain not defined by strength or certainty, but by compassion and the courage to confront the unknown.
1 The Best Of Both Worlds (Parts I/II)
The Crew's Toughest Challenge Yet
- Season 3/4, Episode 26/1
The Borg return with terrifying force in an episode that doesn’t just have Picard wrestling with them; it’s an episode that sees him becoming one himself. Assimilated and reborn as Locutus, he becomes a weapon against his own crew, putting the Enterprise and the entire Federation in unimaginable danger. With Picard lost, Riker is forced to step up as acting captain, leading the crew through one of their darkest hours as they face an enemy that adapts faster than they can fight.
What s is a tense and emotional battle, not just for survival, but also for Picard’s very identity. The crew’s daring rescue succeeds, but the trauma of assimilation leaves lasting damage, both for Picard and those who him. More than just a landmark confrontation, «The Best of Both Worlds» marks a defining moment in the series, cementing the Borg as Star Trek’s most chilling villains and showcasing how close even the strongest can come to being lost.
