Star Trek: The Next Generation-- Greatest Hits

[Madmick]

List of episodes:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation_episodes#Episodes
Memory Alpha Fan Wiki alternative:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Star_Trek:_The_Next_Generation_episodes#Episodes

With the launch of the second season of Discovery I thought Trekkies might appreciate this thread which celebrates the greatest episodes of what many-- a plurality I would even dare to venture-- regard to be the best (and truest) of all Star Treks: The Next Generation.

My personal favorite has always been "The Inner Light". Hit like a truck. I actually didn't copy over the IMDb list until last because i was interested to see individual critic/staff/fan lists first. Well, I'm not unique. Yeah, it's the best the show ever made. Some personal favs that don't seem to make any lists that I loved were "Genesis" (pure entertainment value), "Home Soil", and pretty much any episode that involves Lore (ex. "Brothers", "Datalore"). I also remember really enjoying "It's Elementary, Dear Data", and that only made a single list below.

It's no surprise that you see the same episodes appear in list after list, and that IMDb has already concentrated these using sheer math about as capably as I can with a human eye.

I've attempted to tier the Top 20 episodes below (technically 22). In your opinion, what about this consensus sucks? What is the great episode that's missing?


Tier I

• The Best of Both Worlds, Parts I & II
• The Inner Light
• The Measure of a Man
• Yesterday's Enterprise

Tier II

• Tapestry
  
• Cause and Effect
  
• Q Who
• Chain of Command, Parts I & II
• Lower Decks
  
• Darmok
• I, Borg
  
• All Good Things...

Tier III

• Parallels
  
• Deja Q
• The Offspring
  
• The Pegasus
  
• Relics
• Sins of the Father
  
• The Drumhead
• Family

Spoiler: Source Lists

Note: Timescape, Ship in a Bottle, The Defector, Unification (Parts I & II), Time's Arrow (Parts I & II), Redemption (Parts I & II), Sarek, Skin of Evil, Ensign Ro, Frame of Mind, Descent, & Conundrum are the most cheered that didn't make the cut.

IMDb Voters: Top 25, ranked

1. The Inner Light
2. The Best of Both Worlds, Part I
3. The Best of Both Worlds, Part II
4. Yesterday's Enterprise
   
5. The Measure of a Man
6. Q Who
7. Cause and Effect
8. Tapestry
9. Chain of Command, Part II
10. Parallels
11. Lower Decks
12. I, Borg
13. Darmok
14. All Good Things...
15. Timescape
16. Ship in a Bottle
17. Deja Q
18. The Pegasus
19. The Offspring
20. The Defector
21. Relics
22. Unification, Part II
23. Time's Arrow, Part I
24. The Drumhead
25. Reunion

Nerdist: Top 11, ranked

1. The Measure of a Man
2. The Inner Light
3. The Best of Both Worlds, Part I & II
4. Yesterday's Enterprise
5. Darmok
6. Chain of Command, Part I & II
7. Tapestry
8. The Offspring
9. Sins of the Father
10. All Good Things...
11. Sarek

Variety: Top 15, ranked

1. The Inner Light
2. Family
3. The Measure of a Man
4. The Best of Both Worlds Part I & II
5. Darmok
6. Chain of Command, Parts I & II
7. Redemption, Parts I & II
8. Ensign Ro
9. Deja Q
10. The Offspring
11. Skin of Evil
12. Lower Decks
13. I, Borg
14. Relics
15. Time's Arrow, Parts I & II

The Hollywood Reporter: Top 25, ranked

1. The Best of Both Worlds, Parts I & II
2. The Inner Light
3. Yesterday's Enterprise
4. Family
   
5. Tapestry
6. Q Who
7. Chain of Command, Parts I & II
   
8. All Good Things...
9. Ship in a Bottle
10. Elementary, Dear Data
11. The Measure of a Man
12. Redemption, Parts I & II
13. I, Borg
    
14. Parallels
15. The Drumhead
16. The Lower Decks
17. Relics
18. Frame of Mind
19. Cause and Effect
20. The Pegasus
21. Brothers
22. The Offspring
23. Phantasms
24. Skin of Evil
25. Conspiracy

Gizmodo: Top 26, ranked (extracted from Top 100 for all Star Trek shows)

1. The Best of Both Worlds, Parts I & II
2. Darmok
3. The Inner Light
4. Chain of Command, Parts I & II
5. Yesterday's Enterprise
6. The Measure of a Man
7. Tapestry
8. The Offspring
9. The Drumhead
10. Lower Decks
11. Perfect Mate
12. I, Borg
13. Relics
14. The Pegasus
15. Cause and Effect
16. Tin Man
17. Sarek
18. Family
19. Remember Me
20. The Wounded
21. Conundrum
22. Parallels
23. Deja Q
24. Booby Trap
25. Disaster
26. The Most Toys

Den of Geek: Top 25, unranked, listed in recommended viewing order (which appears chronological)

• Skin of Evil
• Conspiracy
• The Neutral Zone
• The Measure of a Man
• Q Who
• The Emissary
• Who Watches the Watchers
• Yesterday's Enterprise
• The Offspring
• Sins of the Father
• Sarek
• Best of Both Worlds, Parts I & II
• Reunion
• The Wounded
• Redemption, Parts I & II
  
• Darmok
• Unification
• The Outcast
• I, Borg
• The Inner Light
• Chain of Command
• Tapestry
• Frame of Mind
• Lower Decks
• Encounter at Farpoint/All Good Things...

Trekranks [a superfan]: Top 30, ranked (cropped from his complete series rankings w/dbl episodes combined)

1. Redemption, Parts I & II
2. The Best of Both Worlds, Parts I & II
3. The Inner Light
4. All Good Things...
5. Who Watches the Watchers
6. Lower Decks
7. Yesterday's Enterprise
8. The Defector
9. Face of the Enemy
10. Gambit, Part I & II
11. Starship Mine
12. The Pegasus
13. The Wounded
14. Contagion
15. Q Who
16. Parallels
17. Chain of Command, Parts I & II
18. Tapestry
19. A Fistful of Dates
20. Timescape
21. Family
22. Unification, Parts I & II
23. Ensign Ro
24. Sins of the Father
25. Peak Performance

 

[BisexualMMA]

"Nostromo, his hammer ready."

 

[GearSolidMetal]

'Greatest Hits,' you say?

 

[Nesruk]

I love the feminist-world episode "Angel One" (the person on the right is a "man"):

 

[Jack Reacheround]

I thought the best of both worlds was overrated.

Conspiracy is a great early episode.
The drumhead
Data’s Day
The Big Goodbye
Cause and Effect
Hollow Pursuits
A Fist Full of Datas
Schisms
Yesterday’s Enterprise
The Wounded
Devil’s Due
Clues
The Game
Conundrum
The Inner Light
Time’s Arrow 1 & 2
Tapestry
Liaisons
Phantasms
The Pegasus
The Lower Decks


All my favorites in no particular order.

And if you like watching Riker try to fight old men and lose, the episodes are:

Conspiracy
The Icarus Factor
A Matter or Perspective

 

[Jack Reacheround]

I love the feminist-world episode "Angel One" (the person on the right is a "man"):

Doesn’t Riker try to fuck him too? Or am I thinking of another episode?

 

[Henry Swanson]

Too many to name.

But this one still gives me the creeps.

 

[Nesruk]

Doesn’t Riker try to fuck him too? Or am I thinking of another episode?

No, that was this gender neutral beauty:

 

[Madmick]

'Greatest Hits,' you say?

LOL, wasn't that guy part of the team who made the "Hide yo wife hide yo kids" viral sensation?

I thought the best of both worlds was overrated.

Conspiracy is a great early episode.
The drumhead
Data’s Day
The Big Goodbye
Cause and Effect
Hollow Pursuits
A Fist Full of Datas
Schisms
Yesterday’s Enterprise
The Wounded
Devil’s Due
Clues
The Game
Conundrum
The Inner Light
Time’s Arrow 1 & 2
Tapestry
Liaisons
Phantasms
The Pegasus
The Lower Decks


All my favorites in no particular order.

And if you like watching Riker try to fight old men and lose, the episodes are:

Conspiracy
The Icarus Factor
A Matter or Perspective

No "The Last Outpost"?

That's the one that introduced the Ferengi, IIRC. Pretty great.

 

[Lubaolong]

LOL, wasn't that guy part of the team who made the "Hide yo wife hide yo kids" viral sensation?.

Nah they are not al all related as far as I know.

 

[GearSolidMetal]

LOL, wasn't that guy part of the team who made the "Hide yo wife hide yo kids" viral sensation?

Don't think so.

I think Pogo's in his early to mid 20s, and the 'HideYoKids' was back in 2010.

And he's Australian.

 

[MadSquabbles500]

I like the one with the giant flying space turd that is sentient, and shove things far away at transwarp speed. I always want to know what happened to the space turd.

 

[Joe_Armstrong]

Picard's adventures on Risa were fun.
Riker made him buy a statue that meant 'lets do this'

 

[chorley_fm]

@Madmick

add Chains of Command I & II
Timescape

top Top Tier

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

Whichever was the one where Kurn boards and antagonizes Worf before revealing they're brothers. Sins of the father?

I can't believe anybody would put Skin of Evil on a list of good episodes, it's dogshit.

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

I love the feminist-world episode "Angel One" (the person on the right is a "man"):

Fucking terrible

 

[OverCoronavirus Pressure]

No, that was this gender neutral beauty:

... the "where can Big Will put his big willie" ep

 

[Goon Dog]

Measure of a Man and I Borg were my favorite, though a ton of other eps are close. Loved Redemption 1 & 2 and Drumhead. Hell, I could go on. I know he gets many kudos, but I still think Patrick Stewart may be the most criminally underrated actor to ever appear on episodic television. The man's brilliant.

 

[Henry Swanson]

Also. Whatever episode this scene is from.

 

[Lubaolong]

Don't think so.

I think Pogo's in his early to mid 20s, and the 'HideYoKids' was back in 2010.

And he's Australian.

No way he's in his early 20's. I watched a Snow White video by him like 10 years ago.

But yeah, he's in no way related to schmoyoho, who've I've also followed for like 10 years.