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The Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

Every episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation!

Binge this in 5d 15h•Peaking at 8.8/10

Follow the intergalactic adventures of Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and his loyal crew aboard the all-new USS Enterprise NCC-1701D, as they explore new worlds.

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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
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    Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 26 - The Best of Both Worlds (1)
    8.8/10(70 votes)

    #1 - The Best of Both Worlds (1)

    S3:E26

    Stardate: 43989.1 An Starfleet expert on the Borg, Lt. Cmdr. Shelby, is assigned to the Enterprise to investigate the disappearance of a Federation colony. Picard is abducted by the Borg and assimilated into the Collective, which forces Riker to attempt a rescue mission.

    Director:Cliff Bole
    Writer:Michael Piller

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  2. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Episode 9 - The Measure of a Man
    8.7/10(72 votes)

    #2 - The Measure of a Man

    S2:E9

    Stardate: 42523.7. When Data's rights as a sentient individual are placed under trial, Starfleet forces Riker into a position where he must prove that Data is only an Android.

    Director:Robert Scheerer
    Writer:Melinda M. Snodgrass

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  3. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 1 - The Best of Both Worlds (2)
    8.6/10(59 votes)

    #3 - The Best of Both Worlds (2)

    S4:E1

    Stardate: 44001.4. Riker must pull out all the stops in order to save Earth from a Borg invasion being lead by none other than Locutus - otherwise known as Captain Jean-Luc Picard.

    Director:Cliff Bole
    Writer:Michael Piller

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  4. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 25 - The Inner Light
    8.6/10(68 votes)

    #4 - The Inner Light

    S5:E25

    Stardate: 45944.1. Picard awakes to find himself living in a small village where he is a well-known member of the community who is suffering from a delusion of being a starship captain.

    Director:Peter Lauritson
    Writers:Peter Allan Fields, Morgan Gendel

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  5. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 15 - Yesterday's Enterprise
    8.5/10(63 votes)

    #5 - Yesterday's Enterprise

    S3:E15

    Stardate: 43625.2. A rift in the space/time continuum brings the U.S.S. Enterprise - C forward into the 24th Century, and alters the timeline. In this future, the Federation is at war with the Klingons, Tasha Yar is on the bridge, Worf did not join the Federation, and only Guinan's unique perception of reality may restore the timeline.

    Director:David Carson
    Writers:Richard Manning, Eric A. Stillwell, Trent Christopher Ganino, Ira Steven Behr, Ronald D. Moore, Hans Beimler

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  6. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 23 - I, Borg
    8.4/10(55 votes)

    #6 - I, Borg

    S5:E23

    Stardate: 45854.2. An injured Borg is discovered and brought back to the Enterprise where he is 'repaired' by Dr. Crusher and befriended by Geordi, who names him 'Hugh.' Soon, Hugh starts showing signs of individuality while Picard must choose between destroying him or returning him to the collective.

    Director:Robert Lederman
    Writer:René Echevarria

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  7. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Episode 16 - Q Who
    8.3/10(65 votes)

    #7 - Q Who

    S2:E16

    Stardate: 42761.3. Q hurls the Enterprise into the Delta Quadrant and introduces the Federation to a powerful new enemy that may destroy the Alpha Quadrant: The Borg.

    Director:Rob Bowman
    Writer:Maurice Hurley

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  8. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 18 - Cause and Effect
    8.3/10(56 votes)

    #8 - Cause and Effect

    S5:E18

    Stardate: 45652.1. While exploring the Typhon Expanse, the Enterprise is caught in a time warp in which they are repeatedly destroyed while colliding with another starship.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:Brannon Braga

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  9. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Episode 25 - All Good Things...
    8.3/10(52 votes)

    #9 - All Good Things...

    S7:E25

    Stardate: 47988.0. Shortly after Picard is diagnosed with a long-term, potentially debilitating brain disorder, he starts experiencing bizarre shifts into three main time periods: 25 years into the future, a few days before the Enterprise-D is sent on its mission to Farpoint station, and the present. Picard realizes that Q is behind these shifts through time. Stardate: 47988.1. After his encounter with Q, Picard assembles the senior staff, and wonders if Q is actually giving him a chance to save humanity by showing him that the spatial anomaly also exists in the past. As they talk, the ship reaches the Neutral Zone, then Picard returns to the future, where Beverly's ship is also on the edge of the Neutral Zone. He convinces a reluctant Worf to accompany the group into Klingon territory, and then travels to the past, where he orders the crew into the Devron system.

    Directors:Winrich Kolbe, David Carson
    Writers:Ronald D. Moore, Brannon Braga

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  10. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 11 - Chain of Command (2)
    8.2/10(52 votes)

    #10 - Chain of Command (2)

    S6:E11

    Stardate: 46360.8. Picard is captured and tortured by the Cardassians, while Riker tries to prevent a Federation attack on Cardassia.

    Director:Les Landau
    Writer:Frank Abatemarco

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  11. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 2 - Darmok
    8.1/10(56 votes)

    #11 - Darmok

    S5:E2

    Stardate: 45047.2. Picard must find a way to communicate with the newly discovered Tamarians, who speak entirely in metaphors, when a Tamarian Captain is brutally killed.

    Director:Winrich Kolbe
    Writers:Joe Menosky, Philip LaZebnik

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  12. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 15 - Tapestry
    8.1/10(52 votes)

    #12 - Tapestry

    S6:E15

    Stardate: Unknown. A mortally wounded Picard is forced into re-living a time of his life when he was back in Starfleet Academy, with the intervention of Q.

    Director:Les Landau
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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  13. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Episode 11 - Parallels
    8.1/10(49 votes)

    #13 - Parallels

    S7:E11

    Stardate: 47391.2. Worf returns from a Klingon competition to find that he is shifting through different realities.

    Director:Robert Wiemer
    Writer:Brannon Braga

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  14. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 10 - The Defector
    8.0/10(58 votes)

    #14 - The Defector

    S3:E10

    Stardate: 43462.5. A defecting Romulan warns the Federation about an impending attack by the Romulans, who are secretly establishing bases within the Neutral Zone.

    Director:Robert Scheerer
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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  15. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 21 - The Drumhead
    8.0/10(54 votes)

    #15 - The Drumhead

    S4:E21

    Stardate: 44769.2. Picard is accused of treason when an explosion aboard the Enterprise is investigated by a ruthless and paranoid Starfleet Admiral.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:Jeri Taylor

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  16. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 12 - Ship in a Bottle
    8.0/10(53 votes)

    #16 - Ship in a Bottle

    S6:E12

    Stardate: 46424.1. While performing holodeck maintenance, Barclay accesses the stored hologram of Professor Moriarty, who wreaks havoc on board the Enterprise.

    Director:Alexander Singer
    Writer:René Echevarria

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  17. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 7 Episode 15 - Lower Decks
    8.0/10(45 votes)

    #17 - Lower Decks

    S7:E15

    Stardate: 47566.7. Four young ensigns compete for a promotion that only one of them will receive. However, they are soon placed on a top secret mission that places some of their lives in danger.

    Director:Gabrielle Beaumont
    Writers:René Echevarria, Brannon Braga, Jeri Taylor

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  18. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 2 Episode 3 - Elementary, Dear Data
    7.9/10(63 votes)

    #18 - Elementary, Dear Data

    S2:E3

    Stardate: 42286.3. Data and Geordi become involved with a holodeck program about Sherlock Holmes and his investigations, when they create Sherlock's arch nemesis, Moriarty; however, modifications to the Moriarty character include the capability of out-smarting Data, which leads to some unexpected consequences.

    Director:Rob Bowman
    Writer:Brian Alan Lane

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  19. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 4 - Who Watches the Watchers
    7.9/10(57 votes)

    #19 - Who Watches the Watchers

    S3:E4

    Stardate: 43173.5. An away team inadvertently breaks the Prime Directive and reveal themselves to a primitive culture on Mintaka III, causing the inhabitants believe that Captain Picard is a God.

    Director:Robert Wiemer
    Writers:Richard Manning, Hans Beimler

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  20. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 13 - Déjà Q
    7.9/10(55 votes)

    #20 - Déjà Q

    S3:E13

    Stardate: 43539.1. A Calamarian starts attacking the Enterprise while seeking revenge on a powerless Q.

    Director:Les Landau
    Writer:Richard Danus

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  21. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 6 Episode 25 - Timescape
    7.9/10(46 votes)

    #21 - Timescape

    S6:E25

    Stardate: 46944.2. Picard, Geordi, Troi and Data return from a Federation conference to find the Enterprise frozen in time and under attack from a frozen Romulan Warbird.

    Director:Adam Nimoy
    Writer:Brannon Braga

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  22. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 3 Episode 16 - The Offspring
    7.8/10(54 votes)

    #22 - The Offspring

    S3:E16

    Stardate: 43657.0. Data becomes a father when he creates a Soong-type android in the form of a daughter named Lal. Issues are complicated when Lal starts showing signs of a more evolved consciousness, including the ability to feel emotions, which attracts the attention of Starfleet scientists who want to take her away from Data and examine her advanced systems.

    Director:Jonathan Frakes
    Writer:René Echevarria

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  23. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 12 - The Wounded
    7.8/10(50 votes)

    #23 - The Wounded

    S4:E12

    Stardate: 44429.6. When the Cardassians start re-arming themselves, a Federation Captain takes it upon himself to remove a potential threat before it escalated. Now, Picard must fight for the Cardassians and stop the renegade from slaughtering innocents.

    Director:Chip Chalmers
    Writers:Stuart Charno, Jeri Taylor, Sara B. Cooper

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  24. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4 Episode 14 - Clues
    7.8/10(49 votes)

    #24 - Clues

    S4:E14

    Stardate: 44502.7. Picard orders a secret investigation when the crew suspects Data of lying about the discovery of a wormhole.

    Director:Les Landau
    Writer:Joe Menosky

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  25. Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 5 Episode 24 - The Next Phase
    7.8/10(47 votes)

    #25 - The Next Phase

    S5:E24

    Stardate: 45092.4. While the Enterprise helps a Romulan science vessel, an accident occurs which forces Geordi LaForge and Ro Laren slightly out of 'phase', causing them to become undetectable to everyone but each other. As a result, the crew thinks they are dead and make arrangements for their funerals, even though they are closer than the crew realise.

    Directors:David Carson, Robert Lederman
    Writer:Ronald D. Moore

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Best Episodes Summary

"The Best of Both Worlds (1)" is the best rated episode of "Star Trek: The Next Generation". It scored 8.8/10 based on 70 votes. Directed by Cliff Bole and written by Michael Piller, it aired on 6/18/1990. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "The Measure of a Man".