Your Top 14 Episodes!

1. We'll Always Have Paris
2. The Royale
3. Pen Pals
4. The Ensigns of Command
5. Peak Performance
6. Legacy
7. Devil's Due
8. Clues
9. Identity Crisis
10. Hero Worship
11. The Masterpiece Society
12. Thine Own Self
13. The Neutral Zone
14. Night Terrors

 

Actually I'll change #14 to "Haven", I just re-watched and enjoyed it.

 

1. Heart of Glory. Worf's first episode is a home run.
2. Elementary, Dear Data. Best Holodeck episode, ever. Season 2 has a ton of greats...
3. Q Who. Brings in the Borg and adds more mystery to Guinan and Q. This story seems the first to have focused Q on giving Picard hints and notions, whereas the previous Q episodes had a different focus, but this shift allows so much more potential...
4. Booby Trap. The old tale of human intuition is told extremely well, and who doesn't like the idea of a civilization laying traps in deep space where they and their enemies wipe each other out but, oops, the trap is still there and in traipses the Enterprise.
5. The Defector. If season 2's Romulan entries weren't strong, and they were, they pale compared to this entry. Even the scene where Data states they know so little of Romulans before recreating on the holodeck the Valley of Chula in such perfect detail that Jarok isn't worried about Data's revealing his knowledge (and less heavyhandedly than in Datalore when Lore revealed his intellect to Wesley).
6. Hollow Pursuits. A beautiful mystery over "random" problems, and how the one shy guy figures it out. It weas 1994 when Asperger's Syndrome officially made it into the DSM-IV (and superseded by ASD for DSM-V, but I digress), and even then not all practitioners knew about it anyway. Barclay seems closer to this diagnosis than "shy", but TV shows in the past discussed health issues without naming them outright, for which "All in the Family" featured at least two in its early years, but that's a sitcom and I digress.
7. The Best of Both Worlds. (2-parter but is one story?) Best Riker soap opera ever. That and no show, then or before or since, has made the lead character converted into "one of us" so effectively and convincingly. Locutus rocks. That $2000 laser light used is also now available at any pet store for $5 as Mittens the Kitten adores chasing that intangible little spot moving along the floor....
8. Data's Day. A brilliant character piece that also scores a Romulan victory. "The Neutral Zone"'s promise of coming back by the Romulans continues to hold up for sure. Plus, the ending is a slam dunk
9. First Contact. Carolyn Seymour easily could have done more characters on this show, and in a thoughtful episode to boot.
10. Ensign Ro, the introduction of Ro and the return of Guinan are that strong.
11. The Next Phase. Selective physics aside, the philosophical depth and characters chosen really, really hit the spot. Romulan guile also remains on display. TNG did the Romulans right and made them iconic, and their own. This story has one of the best scores of the show that was made after Ron Jones left.
12. Cause and Effect. It's the most refreshing take on a time-loop story ever devised, so far, in sci-fi.
13. The Pegasus. Latter-half TNG isn't always my thing, but this episode showed the series still had its A-Game going on. Riker's backstory is explained and feels consistent with all of his moments on the Enterprise. Romulan guile also returns, and everything feels natural.
    
14. All Good Things. It's a terrific bookend and love letter to the show. A strong one. Q gets his best gag in yet, gloating how Picard caused the problem that wipes out humanity, woops! But he's also providing hints to help save the doomed species. What's not to love?? Okay, the three tachyon beams started with the Pasteur, but it's too small a nitpick. But I said it anyway. Yeehaw.

Some honorable mentions:

1. Haven. The arranged marriage feels right out of TOS, but the later-connecting subplot with the Tarellians, whose plight - told too pithily then discarded - was definitely something that could have held more screentime.
2. Datalore. The plot is hit or miss and who was it that said how having the adults be aware of Lore all the time (instead of being dumbed down they were only playing it) would have turned an iffy plot into a stone hard classic. What elevates this in my book is the direction, incidental music, and Brent Spiner stealing the show with so much gusto. These do a ton to overcome some dumb plotting choices, though enough of the plot is there that holds up, and it's nice that Data and Lore were made by some rogue somewhere else and not by a typical Federation project. But I blabble, up next is:
3. 11001001. The Bynars and situation are pretty cool.
4. Coming of Age is the first Wesley story that didn't make me cringe. It also sets up
5. Conspiracy. This missed my top-14 solely because the ending is both rushed and left open-ended, for a follow-up that we never got.
6. Where Silence Has Lease. Largely for the tone and ominous sense of threat throughout its first half or more, it has a great philosophical discussion and leaves all the right things to ponder. Data does go out of his way to try to remind us we've seen nothing like a big blob in space before, like the one from The Immunity Syndrome and it's not remotely different enough to discount. It's almost a kneejerk response to all the times season 1 toyed with TOS stories.
7. Contagion. Like "Court Martial" from TOS, the obvious reason was not known to most casual audiences, so the big reveal would make more sense. In TNG's case, the lack of antivirus software is the twist and it's played to very creative effect. Add in the Romulans, plus the Icotians and their mystery teleport that needs no follow-up, and it's a very engaging story. This story definitely delivers on "The Neutral Zone"'s plea of the Romulans on how they will be back and promising to be good. They were not good, they were great! And now I'm hungry for corn cereal and sugar...
8. Time-Squared hangs on the mystery of Picard, but it's a terrific sci-fi piece and just enough to make this list.
9. Pen Pals. A lovely story, despite the stupid ending with the conch shell that will revive Sarjenka's memories aside. The prime directive argument is nicely done, especially as everyone is in character.... and Pulaski has her big turning point here as she respects Data after his clear level of compassion for Sarjenka and her species. If anything, if the planets are snuffing it fast compared to others, how do we know that something new won't occur? It's worth rewatching... Hmm, I could write up about half of season 2 as it's better than its reputation by far...
10. Evolution almost feels like a reboot, despite feeling like "Season 2 but with Crusher". Thank the new special effects' quality. Loved that Wesley is the cause of a problem rather than the solution. A shame the nanites were never used, unless they were, but that's rhetorical...
11. Tin Man. I rarely go for stories that feature organic technology as these pose too many question as to how they travel in the mass emptiness of outer space, but the use of Tam Elbrun and the sheer mystery of Gumtuu, plus Romulans, and an incredible music score...

 

My current ones...

First 7: Best of each season
1. 11001001
2. Measure of a Man
3. Best of Both Worlds
4. Remember Me
5. The Inner Light
6. Chain of Command
7. Phantasms

Second 7: Wild Cards
1. Time's Arrow
2. Ensign Ro
3. The Drumhead
4. Deja Q
5. Cause and Effect
6. Schisms
7. Where Silence Has Lease

 

Random number but ok

1. The Best of Both Worlds
2. Measure of a Man
3. Yesterday's Enterprise
4. The Inner Light
5. All Good Things
6. Tapestry
7. Chain of Command
8. The Gambit
9. The Royale
10. Conspiracy
11. Data's Day
12. Lower Decks
13. The Big Goodbye
14. Phantasms

 

2 per season.

 

Racking my brain...Not definitive, here goes:
No order, just a list:

Where No One Has Gone Before
The Chase
Darmok
Masks
Q Who
11001001
Birthright Pt I
Measure of a Man
Parallels
Pegasus
The Wounded
Yesterday's Enterprise
Inner Light
Conspiracy

 

In air date order, and including two-parters as single stories:

S2 E09, "The Measure of a Man"
S3 E10, "The Defector"
S3 E15, "Yesterday's Enterprise"
S3 E16, "The Offspring"
S3 E26/S4 E01, "The Best of Both Worlds"
S4 E12, "The Wounded"
S4 E26/S5 01, "Redemption"
S5 E02, "Darmok"
S5 E05, "Disaster"
S5 E25, "The Inner Light"
S6 E25, "Timescape"
S7 E11, "Parallels"
S7 E15, "Lower Decks"
S7 E25/E26, "All Good Things..."

 

Looking at these lists reminds me how many good episodes there are.

 

There's always a few obvious outstanding episodes for lists like this, but I did have to think quite a bit to get it up to 14. There are so many solid 8/10 episodes after the first couple of seasons that picking out the real 10/10s is challenging. Looking back at my own list now I could easily substitute in "Cause and Effect" or "Booby Trap" or "Peak Performance" or "Family" or "Chain of Command" or "Tapestry", and those are just the ones that came to mind off the top of my head.

 

"Q Who"
"The Emissary"
"The Survivors"
"Yesterday's Enterprise"
"The Offspring"
"The Best of Both Worlds"
"The Best of Both Worlds, Part II"

"The Wounded"
"Redemption"
"Darmok"
"Relics"
"Dark Page"
"Parallels"
"The Pegasus"

These are ranked in no particular order. I could have easily picked 14 more episodes that were good or better than good, and it's a thin line between these and many of those others.

 

Allright. But I am gonna cheat and count 2 parters as one!

Top 14:
1. Best of Both Worlds, PT 1 & 2
2. The Inner Light
3. Yesterday's Enterprise
4. All Good Things, PTs 1 & 2
5. Measure of a Man
6. Chain of Command PTs 1 & 2
7. Cause & Effect
8. Darmok
9. I, Borg
10. Ensign Ro
11. Tapestry
12. Lower Decks
13. The Drumhead
14. Reunion

2 from each season:
S1: 11001001, Datalore
S2: Measure of a Man, Elementary Dear Data
S3: BOBW Pt1, Yesterday's Enterprise
S4: BOBW, PT2, The Drumhead
S5: Inner Light, Cause & Effect
S6: Chain of Command 1&2, Tapestry
S7: All Good Things 1&2, Lower Decks

 

I could easily come up with the next 20 but have a hard time placing them. An 8/10 TNG episode is still pretty damn good.

 

These are my top fourteen episodes in no particular order (except the order that comes to mind):

1. 3x15: "Yesterday's Enterprise"
2. 7x16: "Thine Own Self"
3. 7x17: "Masks"
4. 6x18: "Starship Mine"
5. 7x07: "Dark Page"
6. 1x17: "The Arsenal of Freedom"
7. 2x02: "Where Silence Has Lease"
8. 5x17: "The Outcast"
9. 7x23: "Emergence"
10. 6x25: "Timescape"
11. 3x02: "The Ensigns of Command"
12. 5x21: "The Perfect Mate"
13. 7x04: "Gambit, Part 1"
14. 7x05: "Gambit, Part 2"

 

In the order they appear, I think it's these

S02E21 - Peak Performance
S03E02 - The Ensigns of Command
S03E15 - Yesterday's Enterprise
S03E23 - Sarek
S03E26 & S04E01 - The Best of Both Worlds
S04E15 - First Contact
S05E18 - Cause and Effect
S05E24 - The Next Phase
S05E25 - The Inner Light
S06E04 - Relics
S06E18 - Starship Mine
S06E25 - Timescape
S07E15 - Lower Decks
S07E25 - All Good Things

 

My opinion has changed a little since re-watching

1. Tin Man-------------------------------------------------Season 3
2. Who Watches the Watchers----------------------Season 3
3. Encounter at Farpoint-------------------------------Season 1
4. We'll Always Have Paris---------------------------Season 1
5. Pen Pals-----------------------------------------------Season 2
6. Haven--------------------------------------------------Season 1
7. Legacy-------------------------------------------------Season 4
8. The Masterpiece Society--------------------------Season 5
9. Heart of Glory----------------------------------------Season 1
10. The Royale-----------------------------------------Season 2
11. Clues-------------------------------------------------Season 4
12. The Neutral Zone----------------------------------Season 1
13. The Pegasus---------------------------------------Season 7
14. The Battle-------------------------------------------Season 1